Haunted
by freaksgeeksanddeeks
Summary: What happens when Kensi's worst nightmare becomes a reality?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first attempt at a fanfiction so please let me know what you think :)**

**Haunted**

Chapter 1

It had happened again. For the third time in a space of 5 hours she had awoken to a racing heart and a damp hairline. Why? Why wouldn't it just leave her alone? Why was it so hard to fall asleep without being awoken by that same dream? Dream? Who was she kidding, this was far from a dream, it was more like an ever evolving nightmare.

She turned to check the time, 3:47am, 'Great' she thought to herself, 'What are the chances of falling asleep again before the 6am alarm? Slim to none I'd say'. Still, she figured she may as well try, who knows, maybe she would be able to move past the nightmare, clear her mind and allow her body the rest it so desperately needed.

Turns out today just wasn't that day; an hour later she was still staring up at the ceiling, reliving that nightmare over and over and over again. 'This is ridiculous' she thought to herself; it was time to surrender to the war against her haunted memories, she was never going to win. Instead she decided to get changed and head out for her morning run earlier than usual; hoping that the early morning chill and gentle rain fall may wash away the images currently consuming her.

* * *

It had simply become routine, Callen would always be the first to arrive, followed by Sam and Kensi. Deeks, well he was always the last to arrive; 'saving the best for last' was his favourite excuse, that or just that he was simply 'fashionably late'. Whatever his excuse for the day, it always landed him three sets of rolling eyes and slight nods of the head. It was this routine that caused such a reaction between the three men when Deeks arrived before Kensi.

"Uhh where's Kens?" he asked, Sam and Callen simply looked at each other and shrugged.

"I haven't seen her, and she hasn't called to say she wouldn't be coming in today", slight concern showing in Callen's voice.

Just as Deeks was about to call he heard footsteps headed his way "Well, well, well, look who finally decided to join… whoa..." He was stunned mid-sentence by his partner's face, aside from her pale complexion the circles beneath her tired eyes were like nothing he had ever seen before.

"Geez Kens, you look like you've been hit by a bus!" Given the look that came across her face he was instantly regretting his overly exaggerated response.

"Wow, you sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself, don't you Deeks?" she responded in a far from humoured tone.

"No wait, Kens, you know I didn't..."

"Yeah I know, you didn't mean it like _that"_.

Before the conversation could go on any longer a familiar whistle filled bull pen; Eric had called them all upstairs to begin yet another new case and Kensi was more than happy to take the opportunity to get away from the curious but concerned looks her three male colleagues were sending her way.

* * *

As soon as the doors slid open she instantly felt their eyes turn to her, Nell and Eric exchanged a quick glance before returning their attention back to Kensi. Nell opened her mouth, about to express her concern, but before she had the chance Kensi had swiftly turned her head, giving Nell a clear message that she was not in the mood for any questions.

She took her usual place behind the center counter awaiting the arrival of the team. The sooner they arrived, the sooner the introduction of the new case could begin and the sooner the attention could be averted from her and her current physical state.

As Deeks entered he made his way over to his partner, slightly nudging her with his arm and a sorry smile. He leant over to whisper, not wanting to make a big fuss in front of the entire team,"Hey, I'm really sorry about before…"

Without a second thought she instantly stepped away and let out a small sigh, causing a confused expression to spread across his face. What was wrong with her? What had happened over the past weekend that had left her acting so short tempered, so distant, so un-Kensi like?'

The sound of the door sliding open turned all attention to the petite woman as she entered the room. Hetty may be short in stature but she had a presence that filled an entire room and an authority that could only be respected. Signalling for Eric and Nell to begin, they both turned to their tablets and started clicking away, bringing up images to the large screen before them.

"This is Supervisory Special Agent Peter Thompson; he is man in charge of another team here within NCIS. For the past 6 months he and his team have been investigating leads surrounding a newly formed drug cartel running out of Mexico. It was found that this cartel was being run by a known terrorist, Mr Gregor Mostiff. The team were successful with their case, Mr Gregor Mostiff and the other cartel members were captured and the cartel was destroyed. One month after their capture the cartel members were each sentenced to life imprisonment at a maximum security prison."

"Ok? So if their investigation was a success why are we becoming involved?"

"Mr Hanna if you would let Miss Jones finish…"

"Sorry, continue"

"One week after the sentencing SSA Thompson disappeared with no warning. He has currently been missing for 72 hours with no mention of ransom or demands from anyone."

"Isn't it possible that he perhaps just wanted to get away for a few days? I mean it must have been a tough case, I can understand wanting to escape from it all"

"Mr Callen, although that is always a possibility it seems highly unlikely. SSA Thompson has a wife and young daughter and his wife was adamant that he wouldn't just take off without notice. The case called for several long nights and out of town visits and that because of this he was cherishing the time he could now spend with his daughter."

Sam let out a quiet sigh, he understood Thompson's feelings completely. Sam knew how it felt after a big case, one that keeps you away from your family and just how important the time you spend with your kids becomes. As his wife had said, it is those times that are truly cherished.

"Ok guys, so what's the plan?" the shaggy haired detective questioned

"Mr Callen, Mr Hanna I want you to speak with SSA Thompson's wife, we need to know exactly what happened leading up to her husband's disappearance. Miss Blye, Mr Deeks I want you to…"

"GUYS!" The agents all turned to Eric, a highly surprised look planted across all of their faces

"Uh Eric did you just cut off Hetty mid-sentence?"

"No, wait sorry. Yes, I did. Sorry Hetty but this has just come in; LAPD have just found SSA Thompson in Barrington Park. He's apparently in a bad way, looks like a pretty brutal attack and is currently being taken to Saint Claire's Hospital as we speak. That's all I've got."

"Alright then, change of plans. Mr Callen, Mr Hanna I want you both waiting at the hospital; we need as much information from him as soon as we can get it. If you get a chance, speak with his wife, Julie, if she is any state to talk she may still be able to provide us with some viable information. Miss Blye, Mr Deeks I want you to head down to Barrington Park and speak with the LAPD, find out exactly how this all played out. Miss Jones, Mr Beale we need security footage of that park and the surrounding areas over the past few hours. Hopefully someone has slipped up and left us a clue somewhere. Alright then team, get to it!"

* * *

"Hey G, you got any idea what's up with Kensi? I don't think I've ever seen her like that".

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. I know she and Deeks are always straight into their bickering routine when they arrive but something was definitely off this morning. Aside from that, she looks like she hasn't slept at all in days!"Both men fell silent, worried about the woman they've always seen as a little sister.

"Let's just hope that Deeks is able to get through to her, we both know she can't help but crumble when it comes to that man." Both men laughed knowing just how true it was. How much longer would it be before they finally acknowledged the 'thing' that everyone else saw so clearly.

* * *

Hospitals were never a nice place to be, whether you were there to visit someone you knew or to simply speak with an individual involved in a case it always had an unsettling effect on the two men.

"Man I hate hospitals. For a place built mostly in white they are dark places G. Dark places."

"Do I need to hold your hand in there, Sam?"

Sam took a step back and looked at Callen with a serious stare "If your hand comes anywhere near my hand G you'll find yourself in one of these beds. Got it?"

Callen simply laughed while shaking his head and heading for the entrance "Yep, I got it."

Walking towards the hospital front desk the two men were welcomed by a young blonde receptionist, eager to assist in any way she could.

"Special Agent Callen and Hanna, we are here in relation to Supervisory Special Agent Peter Thompson"

The young woman nodded her head, a gleaming smile on her face.

"Won't be one moment, I'll just check the records now for you. It appears that Mr Thompson is up on level 4, room 7. I'm not sure of his current condition so you will have to discuss anything further with the doctor in charge."

"Thanks for your help."

"You're more than welcome."

Making their way towards the lift Callen couldn't help but comment, "Wow, she was pretty bright for someone working in a dark place, wouldn't you say Sam?"

"I really don't know why I talk to you G"

"Me either big guy. Me either."

Arriving at level 4 the two men went in search of room 7 only to find his wife sitting outside of his room with her elbows at her knees, crying into her palms.

"This can't be a good sign Sam, if his wife isn't even allowed to be with him, we haven't got a chance."

"I guess that means we should start with Julie then."

As the two men walked towards the distraught woman she looked up from her quiet sobs, giving them a small smile as Callen made introductions."Mrs Thompson, I'm Special Agent Callen and this is Special Agent Hanna, we're with NCIS."

"We're terribly sorry for your current situation Mrs Thompson but we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about your husband and the time surrounding his disappearance."The woman gently nodded as she wiped away the tears from her eyes, preparing herself for what was to come.

"Ok, now Mrs Thompson…"

"Please, call me Julie"

"Alright then, Julie do you remember the week prior to your husband's disappearance? Did you receive any strange phone calls or suspicious mail? Possibly even a new employee at the local coffee shop who was suddenly asking a lot of questions about you or your husband?"

"Uhh no, no I can't think of any of that happening. Everything just seemed normal, in a way that it hadn't been for months. We were finally functioning like an average family again."

Julie's emotions suddenly began to grow as the tears returned to her eyes "Peter was finally home to read Annabelle a bedtime story every night. While he was still on the case she would ask me every night if he would be home in time to say goodnight and every night I had to tell her that he was working. She's 8 years old! She doesn't understand the excessively long hours he works, one night she even asked me if the reason he didn't come home was because he didn't want to read her a bedtime story!"

As her tears began to fall she continued "My family was finally back together and then some bastards had to go and pull it apart! My husband doesn't deserve this! I don't deserve this! My daughter doesn't deserve this!"

Both men knew that the woman was in a far from stable state and that bombarding her with more questions would do them no good.

As Sam placed a gentle hand to Julie's shoulder he continued "We know none of you deserve what has happened to you; nobody deserves it. I think it's best if we leave the questions for now so you can just focus on your husband. If we find anything we'll be sure to contact you and keep you updated, ok?"

"Thank you, and if I think of anything else I'll be sure to do the same."

As the men turned to leave a tall man in a white coat appeared from inside Thompson's room " Mrs Thompson…"

"Yes, that's me."

"I'm Dr Trago and I'll be attending to your husband during his stay…"

As they walked towards the lifts Sam sighed as he spoke "Well that was a bust, and I'm not sure if we just made things better or worse for Julie"

"What do you mean?"

"Well she obviously isn't in a good place at the moment we probably shouldn't have been stressing her out with more questions"

"Sam, you know that's our job and more so we're doing it to help her and her husband. The sooner we find some clues to sooner we can hopefully catch these guys. Let's hope Kensi and Deeks can get something from the LAPD or that the wonder twins can work on some security footage. She'll be ok Sam."

* * *

The second he had slammed his car door shut she broke the instant moment of silence; "I'm fine."

Despite speaking in an aggravated tone she knew it wouldn't be enough to get Deeks off her back.

"You know you really have to learn to say anything but that because that one word alone is the exact definition of not fine, just for future reference."

"Well there isn't going to be a future reference because you aren't going to ask me again"

"You seem awfully sure of that, Fern."

"That's because I am."

She turned and gave him a serious glare, one that almost scared him. If the glare itself weren't enough, those dark circles beneath her eyes worried him even more.

* * *

Walking towards the LAPD officers at Barrington Park Deeks suddenly realised just how different his time in NCIS had become. He was a part of this team, of this family but when he looked back to his time at LAPD all he remembered was the isolation and constant belittlement he was put through each and every day.

"Deeks!"

"Wha? Oh. Sorry."

She looked at his with a confused face before continuing "I was getting worried for a second there but then I just figured you must have been fighting back your urge to run and hop on the swings"

"Oh very funny Fern".

Arriving at the scene Deeks came face to face with just one of the men who had made his time at LAPD a living hell. "Fantastic" he muttered under his breath as the pair approached the officer.

"Hi, I'm Special Agent Kensi Blye and this is Det…"

"Detective Marty Deeks"

"The one and only"

"Still think you're funny, don't you Deeks? Tell me, where'd you snag this one from? A woman like that, there's no way she'd be hanging around on her own accord."

Kensi could feel the tension growing and so she looked for a quick way to divert it

"I'm sorry and you would be?"

"Oh sorry sweetheart, I'm officer James Roads"

"It's Agent Blye and for the record Deeks is my partner, he did not 'snag' me from anyone. He was assigned as my partner and I wouldn't want anyone else by my side, he is an amazing cop with respect and dignity both of which you clearly don't possess." The officer's face was taken over by an instant state of shock as the smile on Deeks's face simply grew.

"Now what can you tell us about this morning's events? Who found him? Where was he? Were there any witnesses? Have forensics found anything yet?"

Kensi knew instantly that she didn't like this man, not only for his obvious view of her partner but simply for his lack of professionalism. She had seen this plenty of times before, people that spend more time big noting themselves tend to crumble when the heat is on; a plan that had worked perfectly on the officer, the firing of several questions at once had left him in a complete blank, one that was written all over his now far from confident face.

"Well?"

"Uhh, I'm not sure…"

"You're not sure? Why are you even here if you don't know what's going on?"

Deeks was now fighting back the laugh that was so close to erupting; his partner was drilling officer Roads to the ground without even trying and it was simply making his day.

"This is ridiculous. I'll be putting this in my report and will be sure to notify your boss of our conversation today in all of its detail."

As she went to turn and head back to the car she stopped, with one final thing needing to be said

"Oh and Officer Roads, it's times like this where I hope you're able to learn from Marty. He spent his time at LAPD office doing his job and doing it well, not spending the day big noting himself and putting down others to boost his own ego. Now look at where you both are, Deeks is working with NCIS with a promising future as an agent and you, well here you are at a major crime scene with not a clue in the world as to what is going on around you. Now when it's put down like that, I'd say it's time to get down off your high horse and actually attempt to do your job."

As Kensi turned around she came face to face with her partner, her smile almost matching his. "Shall we go?"

"Lead the way 'sweetheart'"

Kensi sent a dark glare his way at use of that word

"Mmm yeah, that felt weird. Let's stick with Fern, shall we?"

"Yeah, yeah Shaggy, let's go."

For a day that had started out in a nightmare it seemed to have taken a turn for the better. She should have known that if there's one thing her partner was always good at, it was his ability to bring back the sunshine on a dark and rainy day.

* * *

With a large grin on his face he dials the number and awaits the familiar voice on the other end of the line. "Just checking in. She just left and you're in luck, Kensi Blye is indeed working this case. No, she just spoke with Officer Roads and they discussed having no leads on the abduction. She wasn't alone though she has a partner, Detective Marty Deeks, but I wouldn't worry too much about him I doubt he could find his way out of a paper bag. Ha! My thoughts exactly! Well what do you say we get this show on the road? I'll meet you at 18:00 at location no. 3. Ok then, see you soon. Ciao."


	2. Chapter 2

**Just wanted to say thanks to dreamingwideawake and CAT217 for the reviews and to else everyone for the follows/favourites! **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it!**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! :)**

* * *

Chapter 2

Looking out of her bedroom window Kensi took in the view of the beautiful day that welcomed her; a crystal blue sky, slight breeze whistling through the trees, surrounded by a vast array of spring flowers in full bloom. As she sipped her morning coffee she found herself convinced that today would be a good day.

As Kensi made her way around the neighbourhood on her early morning run she found herself thinking about her partner and about the way she had treated him the previous week. Although she would let one or two jokes slide, she had more often than not snapped at his words before instantly walking away from the situation. The mix of insomnia and her hatred of comforting attention had really made her out to be nothing more than a cliché bitch.

It was as these thoughts ran through her mind that she noticed the dark grey clouds beginning to take hostage of the once blue skies. As she turned to return home she was surprised to be confronted by none other than the man of her current thoughts, Deeks. "What are you doing here Deeks? How did you find me?" "I didn't find you princess; you want me to be here" "Huh? When did I…"

Before she had a chance to respond Kensi heard the loud screeching of car tyres coming to a stop as a red sedan pulled up beside her. Instantly a man jumped from the rear door, grabbing her from behind and placing a bag over her heard before throwing her into the back seat. As her heart rate rose and adrenaline began pumping through her veins she screamed for the one person she knew could save her, the one person she knew _would_ save her… "DEEKS!"

Kensi suddenly awoke with a great gasp instantly finding herself sitting upright before throwing her legs over the side of the bed, pulling a muscle in the process. Her back was now aching, her heart was pounding, her hair was damp, her hands were shaking and her cheeks were drenched in tears. At that time the only word she could find the strength to mutter was 'why?'

* * *

It had been one hell of a long week at work for Kensi; the case had come to a standstill meaning the team was left with plenty of past paperwork to complete, along with the fact that sleep was still something she so desperately struggled with. Monday mornings are hard enough, but with this scenario in play, they almost seemed impossible. Lost in her desperate thoughts she threw her pen in the air as Eric whistled from above. Deeks just couldn't help but bring humour to the situation

"Aww come on Kens, what did that poor pen ever do to you?"

His comment caused a unified chuckle amongst the three men however only provoking another one of Kensi's all but too common death stares.

"Hey Kens, are you limping?" Sam asked with concern

"No I'm fine, I just turned too quickly getting out of my car this morning"

"Mmm ok, if you say so"

"Trust me, I'm fine!"

And there was that word again, 'fine'. Deeks knew something had definitely happened that morning and he was positive that it had nothing to do with her car.

* * *

As the agents entered OPS they were met by three concerned faces standing in complete silence, an environment that could only be preparing for bad news.

"Miss Jones, would you please begin"

"You're all aware Supervisory Special Agent Thompson, of his previous mission and of his abduction. While it may have seemed that all leads had run dry it appears that the suspects were simply waiting before executing their next plan of attack."

Eric tapped away on his tablet before an image of a young girl was loaded onto the screen.

"This is Annabelle, Thompson's daughter. Her mother, Julie, reportedly dropped Annabelle off at school this morning but teachers confirmed that she never returned to class after their lunch break."

Kensi felt her heart sink; although she didn't have a way with interacting with kids she still felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow when they became victims of merciless and bitter crime. This little girl had no part in the execution of the investigation into the case; she was simply a pawn in their suspect's game, a bargaining chip to ensure they were to obtain what it is they set out for, and as an ego boosting guarantee of holding the upper hand.

The resentment in Sam's voice was more than expected, having young children himself he was not one for showing any understanding towards anyone who would put an innocent child in such a position.

"Are there any cameras at the school? What about in the surrounding streets? Someone must have seen something!"

"There are no cameras on the school grounds however there are speed cameras by the entrances, all of which we have checked thoroughly and come up empty. As for the surrounding streets we only had one camera from a convenience store on the opposite side of the road but it came up empty as well."

"Well check again! How can someone walk into school grounds, grab a child and nobody notice a damn thing! There should have been teachers on duty!"

"Mr Hanna there is no need to speak to Mr Beale in that manner, you know he is one of the best, if he says there is no usable footage then you should know by now to believe it. As for the teachers, there was indeed several on duty at the time, all of which are being interviewed as we speak, along with Annabelle's school friends. All avenues are being investigated; we will find her and whoever is behind this. Focus your attention to the task at hand and not wallowing in what we cannot change."

Callen planted a reassuring hand on his partners shoulder, bringing Sam back to reality.

"Sorry Eric, you and Nell are the best in your field and I do know that, I just can't stand those who use defenceless children as bargaining chips!"

Eric knew the apology was sincere, he couldn't imagine how this situation must be affecting him, being a father himself.

"No worries Sam, we're all feeling the same way".

"Mr Callen, Mr Hanna, SSA Thompson was released from hospital three days ago and is now back at home, I want you to speak with him and his wife, construct a chain of events, make sure they are aware that no detail is too small or invalid. Whoever has done this has clearly planned this kidnapping, acting in a very small space of time in a very open environment. Mr Deeks, Miss Blye, I want you to speak with Annabelle's school friend, Joshua. It is highly likely that he was with Annabelle soon before the abduction, he may have some crucial information."

"But Hetty I..."

"Hush Miss Blye, I need you to do this, you may believe you have trouble interacting with children but I can see in you exactly what is required. Just be patient and try not to use too many 'big' words."

A sly smile spread across Deeks' face; he couldn't wait to see this.

"Come on Fern, let's hit the playground!"

She simply rolled her eyes and headed for the door; perhaps speaking with a six year old wouldn't be as hard as she thought, after all she had been working with one for the past three years.

* * *

As the door opened before them they were greeted by a clearly distraught SSA Thompson.

"Special Agent Callen, Hanna, please come in."

Although the Thompson attempted to convey a confident persona it was impossibly simple to see straight through it.

"Mr and Mrs Thompson, we are terribly sorry to be here under such circumstances…"

"Skip the sob story, WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!"

Julie was certainly not one to attempt a calm façade; she was an emotional wreck and made no attempt to hide it.

"How does this happen?! I dropped her at school! She is supposed to be safe there! I knew this would happen! It's your fault Peter! You and that stupid job! Look at what's happened! They have our daughter and it's all your fault!"

Her tears began to fall, her voice catching as she continued, "They... they... they have our... daughter…"

With that, Julie turned and headed for the back garden, unable to stand the situation any longer.

"I'll get her G, you stay and speak with Thompson, hopefully speaking with another parent will allow her to calm down and open up a little."

* * *

As he stepped outside he was taken aback as to the sheer size and landscaping expertise that stood before him. 'So this is what money can buy, eh?' he silently thought to himself.

As he moved through the gardens he noticed a woman seated on a rustic swinging chair, her head hung low, slowly shaking from side to side. He couldn't imagine what she must be currently going through and could only hope that he never would.

Unsure of how he should approach the situation he slowly walked towards Julie before stopping next to the swinging chair. He stood there in silence for a moment, not wanting to instantly bombard her with a mountain of questions, instead giving her a chance to acknowledge his presence and accept her current reality.

"Do you have children?" Her voice was weak and filled with desperation

"Yes I do, I have two daughters."

Julie slowly turned and motioned for him to join her on the swing, this really was an impossible situation for Sam.

"She is such a happy little girl, I know it sounds cliché but she truly does light up a room."

Sam saw a small smile appear as she spoke of her daughter; she hadn't lost hope yet.

"If there is one thing that both Peter and I have always made incredibly clear is the rule of never speaking with strangers, regardless of what they may say. She wouldn't have done it, she just wouldn't have. How has this happened agent Hanna? How did this happen to my little girl?"

The sorrow he felt listening to Julie was overwhelming, there was nothing he could say that would make things better; instead he needed to use actions, he had to bring Annabelle home.

"Please Julie, call me Sam. Now I know this is difficult but do you think you could answer some questions for me? Anything you say may help us, even the smallest of details can be significant."

Helplessly she nodded her head; it was incredibly apparent just how much this situation was affecting her.

"Ok, now when you dropped Annabelle off at school this morning did anything seem different? Did you see anyone near the school, perhaps with no children, just simply observing?"

She sat for a moment before speaking "No, I can't say I remember anyone who looked out of place. If I had of I would have been sure to notify someone and most certainly wouldn't have left my daughter there!"

"I understand. Now what about back at home? I know I've asked before at the hospital but have you received any odd phone calls or suspicious mail in the past week?"

"No, nothing has changed; there haven't been any obvious signs. Like I said if there had been I wouldn't have left my daughter alone at school!"

"Ok then, that should do for now. We're going to do everything we can to find her, Julie."

With that, Julie put her hands to face, planted her elbows to knees and cried. As Sam looked to her, placing a gentle hand to her shoulder, he couldn't help but selfishly revisit his previous thought, 'I really hope that I never have to go through this with my own daughters.'

* * *

"I'm terribly sorry about that; Julie really isn't taking this very well"

"Well I'd say that's more than acceptable given the circumstances."

"Yes, yes that is true but she is right, this is my fault. Although you live in fear of something like this happening to you due to your employment field and status, you forever secretly hope that it doesn't. You pray that this kind of scenario is kept for the movies, where a happy ending is always guaranteed."

His resentment of himself radiated from every word he spoke; He truly did believe that his daughter's abduction was his fault and it was highly doubtful that there was anything Callen could say or do that was going to change that view.

"Can I ask you some questions Peter? We're looking for as much information as possible, looking to open as many avenues of investigation as possible."

"Yes of course, anything to help to get my baby home."

"Ok, well I guess the place to begin would be in relation to any odd phone calls or suspicious mail you may have received since you've been back at home. It may have seemed insignificant at the time but many criminals who use children as hostages feel the need to twist the situation and leave the parents on edge before the kidnapping even occurs."

Suddenly Peter's face went blank, a prolonged silence following; a classic sign that he was hiding something, something that he believed to be associated with his daughter's kidnapping.

"Uhh, I got a call late Friday night from a blocked number, regardless of how many times I spoke there was never a response and then there was a minute or so of static. Suddenly I heard a distorted male voice shout 'SURPRISE!' straight after that they hung up. I tried to call the number back but it was already dead and I knew that if I started calling around trying to get my people to look into it and Julie heard she would begin to worry. It was April Fools' Day; I just told myself it was some silly kid, probably pranking a tonne of people. If only I had taken it seriously, Annabelle would still be here. This really is my fault, isn't it?"

Callen could only try to reassure the deputy that it wasn't his fault, that as he said he had no concrete reason to be concerned; people do a lot of crazy thing on April Fools' Day.

"Although you may not believe it, this is a big help to our investigation, a new lead that we didn't previously have. I know this must be an incredibly difficult time for you but just know that we are all trying our very best to do everything that we can to get Annabelle back home safely."

At that time Sam and Julie returned from the garden, giving the two agents their chance to leave the couple to themselves and head back to OSP to investigate their new lead.

"We will be in touch, hopefully sooner rather than later."

"Thank you, so much. It really means a lot."

A single tear ran down Julie's cheek as she spoke, but this time not a distraught, emotional tear, it was more like a 'thank you for helping us' tear. The two men nodded with gentle smiles before turning and heading back for the car.

* * *

"So Kens, how are we going to play this? You can be the teacher that the kids are scared of when they don't do their homework and I'll be the super fun substitute teacher that everyone loves. What do you think?" he said with the standard mischievous Deeks smile spread across his face.

As they pulled up to a red light Kensi turned and shot Deeks yet another of her killer death stares. "Why would I be the scary teacher? I'm not scary!"

"Well, I hate to break it to you Fern, but if you ever shot that glare at a six year old child I'm pretty sure they'd be scared for life."

Silence filled the car until Deeks finally sighed.

"Come on Kens, what is up with you? I know we have this banter thing we do, and how much you love to punch me after every one of my clever retorts but I'm not going to lie, the past week you've been leaving bruises."

As Kensi opened her mouth to respond he quickly cut her off, "Oh and remember that fine equals not fine. Ok, continue…"

She couldn't help but smile at his mocking comment. How does he do that? Uhh who knows? No. That was a lie; she knew exactly how he did it.

"I'm just a bit tired, that's all. Now I would say sorry for the bruises but I'd hate to damage your ego, admitting you're getting beaten up by a girl must be pretty hard."

Deeks was left with his mouth slightly ajar after her comment "Oh no, no, no, no, you are no 'girl' Fern, you're badass Blye, and she is one hell of a bigger threat than any 'girl'. Also, I was merely making an observation of my arm as of the past week, I'm far from beaten. And finally, if that is your sole response to my question then this conversation is far from over."

She could hardly be surprised by that response, he wouldn't drop it until he knew the truth; the whole truth. However she couldn't deny it, if the roles were reversed she would continue to dig until she knew what it was that was bothering her partner. Although it seemed an annoyance at the moment and one that wouldn't change her mind about sharing her demons, deep down it meant a lot to her. He really was concerned; he really did care.

* * *

As they both entered the boatshed they were greeted by their petite boss "Hey Hetty, so who's the little man we're speaking with?"

"His name is Joshua Caddings; he is a good friend of Annabelle and was with her shortly before the abduction. The woman with him at the moment is his nanny, Jessica Lukes. His mother, Sarah, is currently out of the country and has given permission for Jessica to be his guardian in the interview. As I said earlier, he is only six years old so please refrain from using too many 'big' words. Good luck."

Entering the interview room Kensi noticed Joshua drawing with his pencils; a bright yellow sun, green trees and a crystal blue lake with ducks swimming happily through the water. Oh how simple life seemed at six years old; a vision of life yet to be tainted by the true horrors that unknowingly surrounded him.

"Hey Joshua, my name is Kensi and this is Marty."

The young boy was quick to respond "You look just like Miss Brunnings. She is really scary! You're not scary are you?"

Deeks couldn't help but laugh out loud and offer Kensi a far from subtle 'told you so' look. Rolling her eyes at Deeks she returned her attention to Joshua

"No, no I'm not scary. I just wanted to ask you some questions about your day at school; in particular around the time that Annabelle went missing."

"Oh you mean when she went with Mr Hopkins? He said her Aunty Carol was sick and that she had sent him to pick her up and take her to the hospital. Is Aunty Carol ok? I miss Annabelle. We never got to finish our game of hide and seek."

Deeks and Kensi both shared a look of concern; so that is how he managed to abduct her without causing a commotion, she had willingly left with him not knowing that she was walking into a trap.

Deeks took his turn at speaking with the young boy, using his childlike charm to bring humour back to the situation.

"So you and Annabelle are good friends, right? Is she your girrrrrlfriend?"

"Eww no! We're best friends, but she has cooties so I can't hug her. You have to be careful Marty, Kensi has cooties too!"

The smile that came across Deeks face was like nothing Kensi had ever seen before. He would never let her live this down, and she knew it.

"Oh really? Ok well thanks for letting me know little man! Better just move over here then…" he said, slightly shifting his chair away from Kensi, causing the young boy to chuckle.

Although the joke was on her she couldn't help but smile; Deeks really did have a way with kids, a way that affected her in an indescribable way. Whatever it was, it was in a good way, in a 'he is worth so much more than he would ever give himself credit for' kind of way. A way that she had make sure he knew… one day…

"Ok Joshua, can you tell us what Mr Hopkins looked like?"

"He told me not to tell anyone, that it was a big secret and made me pinky promise. After that he gave me a lollipop, but it was really yucky."

"It's ok Joshua, you can tell us what happened, we're the good guys, remember?"

"Umm ok, well he had blonde hair, like yours Marty but a bit shorter. He was wearing a red shirt with a crocodile on it; I love crocodiles! They have so many teeth! Imagine taking your pet crocodile to the dentist!"

The young boy seemed to be getting lost in his story, but it was a story that only made the smiles on the two agents faces grow with every word.

Jessica was quick to speak up, hoping to get Joshua back on track "Joshy, get back to Mr Hopkins sweetie, Marty and Kensi aren't here to talk about pet crocodiles."

"Oops. Sorry Marty, sorry Kensi"

"That's fine Joshua. Now is there anything else you can tell us about Mr Hopkins? Did he have any tattoos maybe? Any hair on his face, like a moustache or a beard?"

"Oh yeah! He had a tattoo on his arm; it was 6 letters in a love heart. I asked him what it meant and told him that love hearts are girly. He just laughed and said in time I would understand love."

A slight chuckle was heard amongst the three adults before Kensi continued "Do you remember what the letters were?"

"Yeah they were v, s, k, b, d, s"

"Ok then, but how can you be sure it was those six letters?" Deeks asked, a little wary of his exact recital of the tattoo

"He said it meant 'very special kids believe dreams survive'. I don't know what that means. After that he left with Annabelle. Where is Annabelle? I really miss her."

The boy looked to his nanny with sad eyes "Jessie, where is she? Is Mr Hopkins a baddie? Is she ok?" Jessica sighed and looked to the two agents; she seemed lost as to how to respond, looking to them for assistance.

"Hey Joshua, we're going to go find her now ok? You did really well today. Thanks for your help."

"It's ok" he said with a small smile on his face.

As Deeks and Kensi stood to leave the room the young voice from behind caused them to turn "Be careful Marty, remember Kensi has cooties!"

Deeks couldn't help but laugh again at the little boy's concern for his safety

"Thanks little man! I'll make sure to stay away! See you later!"

* * *

Upon returning to OSP Kensi was greeted by soft whispers from her male colleagues huddled around Sam's desk.

"Uhh, what are you guys doing? Callen, why are you sitting at their desk?"

"Sorry Kensi but Deeks has just informed us of your case of 'cooties' and I didn't want to risk infection, so I've decided to join the guys over here."

Kensi couldn't help but roll her eyes at the three men; maybe she hadn't only been working with one six year old for the past three years, there had in fact been three!

"Oh that's ok, I completely understand. It must be hard for you all, suffering from a severe case of minor masculinity disease."

As the three men's jaws dropped, Hetty appeared with a grin on her face

"Ah yes Miss Blye, I hear the symptoms are to be rather unpleasant however you are all going to have to be big boys and move past them; we need all of our attention directed towards the case!"

* * *

"Hey, just checking in. Looks like agents Hanna and Callen stopped by the Thompson's place today. That mother is reallyyyy shaken up; it was actually quite entertaining to watch. I should have taped it you both would have gotten a good laugh out of it! I saw that garden gnome take that little kid to the boat shed which I assume means that Kensi and that pretty boy detective spoke with him. You what?! Ha! You bribed the kid to stay quiet with a lollipop? If only it were that easy to get adults to shut up! So what's our next plan of attack? Let's meet at 20:00 at location no. 2. See you then. Ciao.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks everyone for the reviews, favourites & follows! **

**I know I read comments all the time in other people's fanfics about appreciating reviews and I now see that the positive feedback really does serve as great inspiration to write faster!**

**This chapter is a little shorter but has a lot more Densi content :)**

**As always, please review and let me know what you think! **

* * *

Chapter 3

Another whole week had passed and the team were still no closer to solving the case or finding Annabelle. At the scene of SSA Thompson's discovery, Barrington Park, all security leads had come up empty, forensics team were unable to find anything tangible and Thompson himself suffering from a degree of amnesia was unable to recall any detail from his abduction. Then there was security footage at the scene of Annabelle's abduction that had also come up dry, along with the call made to the Thompson's home phone days before her abduction. Eric and Nell had found that the call had been made from a secure burn phone that had already been discarded and was unable to be tracked.

Back at the bullpen the usual chatter amongst the four agents continued

"So last night was apparently round 2 of 'funny time' in the Hanna household. There was no project runway, no comment on skinny jeans or new shirts, no this time in was about my hair."

"Wait what hair? Oh wait! Don't tell me, you wear a wig at home so you don't look so official and scare your kids!"

Sam sent a lingering, unimpressed glare at the blonde detective, only causing him to smile in return.

"NO! I do not wear a wig at home and my lack of hair does NOT scare my kids!"

"Alright then then Sam, what was it about your hair? I'm completely intrigued" his partner commented, sending a sarcastically concerned look his way.

"You know what; I have no idea why I speak to any of you."

Suddenly the four agents were startled as their petite boss seemed to appear from nowhere. Even after all of these years they were all still at a complete loss as to how she did it, excelling in her ninja ways.

"Hetty you really need to invest in a bell or something! One of these days my heart is going to give way!"

"Oh my, did I scare you Mr Deeks? Now I don't believe that I need to warn you of my presence, I believe you simply need to work on your attentive skills." As Deeks' jaw dropped the others simply laughed.

"Now team, if you would please head up to OPS, I will meet you there shortly."

Hetty's face didn't give much away, not that it ever really did, so they could all only hope that Eric and Nell were preparing upstairs to inform them of some good news.

* * *

"One of the days he will learn to keep quiet"

"Wait, keep quiet about what? About Hetty?"

"Yes Deeks, about Hetty. When she appears out of nowhere and scares you, don't draw attention to it, just let it slide. She scares us all Deeks, remember that."

"So she scared you too! See, I knew it!"

"Knew what?"

"That Hetty just scared you as well"

"What makes you say that?"

"You just told me"

"No, I didn't. Did you hear me say anything Sam?"

"Nope, didn't hear anything"

"I think you're still hearing voices Deeks. Perhaps Hetty was right, this might be another sign of schizophrenia; you should probably get that checked out"

"No wait, come on guys… Ugh."

* * *

As soon as the agents entered the room they knew they were in for no such luck; it was bad news, very bad news.

"Uhh hi guys."

Eric spoke in an apprehensive tone; he really was struggling with whatever it was he was about to tell them.

"Ok guys, hit us. What's happened?"

Deeks was never one for patience and awkward situations; he just wanted to know what was going on.

Nell was the first to begin "At 8am on Friday morning seven year old Tamara Jones was abducted while waiting for her school bus. Witnesses say that they saw a man in a red sedan pull up next to her before speaking to the young girl through the passenger side window. Soon after the girl willingly got into the car and wasn't seen again."

Before anyone could respond Eric continued, "Half an hour later a similar event occurred with a young girl named Shannon Pier. She is eight years old and too was waiting for her school bus. Witnesses have described the same red sedan and mode of abduction; speaking through the passenger side window before seeing the young girl willingly get into the car."

"Was anyone able to give a licence plate number? What about a description of the driver?"

"So far no one has been able to help with either of those, it's solely been about the abduction; that's it."

Kensi was next to speak up, confused as to why a child abduction case had been given to NCIS.

"Don't get me wrong, this truly is a horrible case but why has it come to NCIS? Aren't child abductions more of a case for LAPD?"

As the doors slid open Hetty spoke, "Miss Jones, if you would please continue."

Nell silently nodded before continuing, "The two girls were both found unharmed this morning in Boronia Park. Neither of the girls were wearing shoes and both were bound by green rope. Tamara had one leg tied to one of Shannon's legs and the other to a park bench. It seems that both girls have had their hair coloured with the same brunette dye and put into the same high pig tails. What is most interesting is the letters 'RDPS' written next to the bench in green paint. We're currently looking for possible solutions to this letter sequence but are yet to find anything significant."

Kensi stood with a confused look on her face, "I still don't understand why this is a NCIS case…"

"Miss Blye please, if you would let Miss Jones finish…"

"Sorry Nell, keep going…"

"Ok, so the reason the case has been sent to us is due to a note found in Tamara's shirt pocket. It read; _'SURPRISE! If I'm willing to give back two, perhaps I'll be willing to give back three. Oh and you can let Supervisory Special Agent Thompson know that Aunty Carol is doing just fine._'"

Silence fell within OPS; this case was going to be a lot bigger than any of them had ever anticipated.

"It would seem that we're now looking for the same individual; A very confident, patient and manipulative individual."

* * *

Looking out over the water from the pier, watching the waves as they make their way to the shore, observing the sun as it slowly sets, life just seemed at ease; for those few moments it just seemed right. Although Kensi never was a real fan of the water she can happily thank her scruffy haired, blue eyed beach boy partner for opening her eyes to its relaxing qualities.

Silently staring out into ocean she was suddenly startled by the all too familiar voice behind her.

"I mean maybe I was reading the stories all wrong, but aren't damsels in distress usually locked up in a tower, awaiting their prince charming and his valiant steed?"

She couldn't help but smile at his childish charm, "Maybe, but I've never been one for cliché fairy tales and helpless princesses."

He smiled as he leant his elbows against the railing, staring back at his partner "Yep, that's my girl."

A few silent minutes past by before Kensi spoke,

"So are you going to ask me or what?"

"Look I wasn't goi…"

"Just do it."

"Okay, okay fine. Do you have plans for dinner?"

Kensi turned to him, a confused look on her face "What?"

"I asked if you had any plans for dinner. So, do you?"

"But I thought…"

"I know what you thought, but I decided against it this time. If you want to talk I'm all ears, you know that, if not I'm here to share dinner and ice cream with. What do you say?"

She didn't have to say anything; the smile that radiated from cheek to cheek was more than a definite answer to his question. She needed something to divert the helpless feelings engulfing her in relation to the case and her nightmares and she knew that Deeks would always be a perfect distraction.

* * *

He just couldn't help himself, walking into Kensi's apartment he just had to comment

"Uhh wow. You sure we're in the right place? I can see the coffee table, this can't be right!"

From the kitchen she shot him an unimpressed look, one that had him preparing for a new bruise. As she walked towards the lounge room she passed him a beer before falling back into the couch.

With a sly smile he did the same and turned to his partner, "So I'm being rewarded for bad behaviour eh? Good to know. Anyway, are you going to explain the new look apartment? What changed?"

"Well… when I can't sleep, I've turned to organising a few things and once I started I just figured, why stop? It definitely feels better in here, I like it."

He simply grinned and slowly nodded "See, I knew I was a good influence on you."

Suddenly Deeks tone changed from humoured to concerned,

"Hey Kens.."

"Yes?"

"What's been keeping you up at night? Please don't say it's nothing or that you're fine because those circles beneath your eyes tell a completely different story."

"Deeks please don't do this…"

"Kens, it's been weeks and I'm worried about you"

"Well you shouldn't be, I'm…"

"No! No Kens you're not fine. Please talk to me, I need to know what's wrong"

"No you don't, you just want to know, there's a big difference. I'm fine and that's all you're getting out of me!"

"Why do you have to be so damn stubborn? I care about you Kens, a lot! I just want to help, because seeing you like this kills me! Why must you make that out to be such a bad thing!"

"Just drop it! I don't want to talk about it! I can handle it by myself!"

"You know what, if you want me to stop asking, then fine I'll stop asking but know this, I will never stop caring and will never stop worrying about you. You are the most important person in my life Kens, but if I'm forever going to be scolded for voicing my concern for you and if it's never going to make you happy then it'll all stop right now because your happiness is all I care about."

Deeks stood from the couch, grabbed his keys from the kitchen bench and headed for the front door

"Look Kens, I never want to be the cause of your unhappiness and I guess that's what I'm doing right now so I think it's best if I just go home. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"FINE!"

As she heard the front door click shut her eyes instantly burst with tears as her heart broke. 'What have I done? How did I just let that happen? God Kensi, all he wanted to do was help and you just threw it all back in face! You idiot! He's the best thing that has ever happened to you and yet still you let him walk out of that door!'

She simply couldn't stand it anymore, jumping to her feet she ran for the door hoping to catch up to Deeks; the man she didn't believe she deserved but the one that she knew she couldn't live without.

* * *

As he opened the driver's side door he stopped at the sound of footsteps approaching him from behind; turning he was surprised to see his partner standing before him, briefly doubled over attempting to catch her breath. As Kensi lifted her head to see Deeks looking back at her she felt her knees buckle beneath her as she fell to ground and began to cry.

Instantly slamming the door closed, Deeks ran towards his partner falling to his knees beside her as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. By this time Kensi felt as though her eyes were on fire, the tears just wouldn't seem to stop, only fuelling the intense burning sensation.

"I… I… I'm so… I'm so sorry Deeks. I'm so sorry"

Listening to her desperate plea for forgiveness simply shattered his heart, she had nothing to apologise for, it had been him who was in the wrong.

"Shh Kens, don't be sorry. It's my fault, I shouldn't have been so harsh, I shouldn't have pushed so hard. I'm sorry Kens."

For a few moments they simply sat there, baring all emotions to one another without the use of words.

"Hey Fern?"

"Mhmm"

"Wanna go back inside and get some food? I mean I don't know about you, but I'm starving andddd your neighbour is starting to look at us weird..."

Kensi could feel a small smile spread across her face "Ok, but I don't understand why he would be looking at us strangely, I mean doesn't everyone fall into a heap and cry their eyes out in the front yard?"

"Mmm no, no they don't. Pretty sure that's just you princess."

"Oh well, I guess that makes me one of a kind."

Offering Kensi a hand to her feet he threw his arm around shoulders and pulled her in close, silently whispering to himself 'That you most definitely are, princess.'

* * *

Two pizzas and a couple of ice cream tubs later, despite how hard she tried, Kensi could feel herself slipping away to a dreamland; a place that she hadn't been enjoying at all the past few weeks. As Kensi's head fell to his shoulder he was torn as to what he should do; should he stay there and watch over her as she got the sleep she clearly needed? Or should he leave her be, alone in the privacy of her own home?

As he shifted in his seat in an attempt to stand without disrupting her he was stopped by a warm hand to his forearm and a weak voice,

"Stay"

He just couldn't help but smile; here she was asleep in his arms, his badass Blye sounding so exposed, so vulnerable and looking to him for protection.

He grabbed her pink cat pillow, the one he had bought her after her constant mocking of the one at his apartment, and laid it under her head. As she adjusted herself on the couch he slowly ran his fingers through her hair whispering to her softly, "Sleep Kens… just sleep, I'm not going anywhere".

Soon after she had fallen asleep Deeks decided to carry Kensi into her bedroom, hoping to avoid the whining about a sore neck and aching back the following morning.

He found himself staring down at his partner as she slept ever so peacefully, racking his brains as to what it could possibly be that has been keeping her awake at night. Deeks soon found himself drifting off; grateful that she was finally sleeping he allowed his tired eyes to eventually rest.

* * *

Two hours later Deeks was awoken by a kick to the side and the anxious cries of his partner as she appeared to be fighting in her sleep.

"Kensi! Kensi, it's Deeks. Wake up."

"No! Leave them alone! Leave them alone!" Her cries continued, as did her flailing limbs

"Kensi wake up, wake up!"

His words seemed to go unnoticed; she was completely unresponsive to any of his attempts to calm her

"Get away! No! Let go of me! HELP! DEEKS! HELP ME!"

After his use of calming words failed, Deeks took a hold of Kensi's arm before gently running his thumb along her cheek

"Hey Kens, Kens wake up. It's me, Deeks. You're safe. I just need you to wake up."

Slowly Kensi's eyes began to flicker open but as they did she was hit with the reality of what had just occurred. She could feel the tears on her cheeks, the damp hairline and her racing heart; it had happened again but this time it was worse. This time Deeks had witnessed it, now there would be no hiding the true severity of her nightmares.

Without warning her tears returned as she lifted her hands to cover her face; exhausted and in shock Kensi found that she couldn't help but breakdown. Before she knew it she found herself in a tight embrace, protected by arms of her partner as he gently stroked her back in attempt to calm her racing heart.

"Shh Kens, it's ok you're safe."

As she desperately clung to his shirt Deeks could feel his heart breaking, whatever this nightmare was, with its capacity to consume her ability to sleep, it was looking to be a lot more serious than he had initially assumed.

* * *

After pressing speed dial the all too familiar voices of his partners answered.

"Ok, so they have no new developments on the case; still completely cold. I suppose that means we aren't doing too bad a job."

The men all shared an evil laugh before continuing, "However I have some news I assumed you may be interested in; it would seem that our good friend Kensi will be celebrating her birthday on Monday…"

"Oh trust me; we were well aware of that, it's a day we have celebrated every year for the past 20 years, only this year we know where the party's at."

As a devilish smile spread across their faces the men said their goodbyes and headed to another of their undisclosed locations, with plans to further discuss Kensi's surprise birthday gift.


	4. Chapter 4

**WOW!**

**Thanks everyone so much for those incredible reviews! I haven't been able to wipe the smile off my face all day!**

**As a token of my appreciation I've decided to post the next chapter already (Yes, two chapters within 24 hours! :D)**

**I really loved writing this chapter but I mean who doesn't love a little birthday Densi?**

**I know this chapter is quite long, I did initially write it as two separate chapters but then decided it was probably better not to split one day over two chapters.**

**Keep the reviews coming! Like I said they really, really do make my day! :D**

Chapter 4

Deeks made sure to set his alarm early today, he had things to do before starting work; very important things. Walking into OSP felt strange knowing that he would be first to arrive. He believed it should land him bragging rights for the day; give back to the others all of the 'late' jokes he's forever been pegged with.

Placing his bag by his desk he was startled as he turned to see Hetty staring at him with a large smile across her face. He should have known he would never be first here; he could never outrun Hetty and her ninja ways.

"Morning Mr Deeks. Preparing for a special day are we?"

He just had to laugh, that woman was always onto everything.

"Well I figured birthdays only come around once a year and from what I've heard she isn't much of a birthday girl so I wanted to see if I could change her mind."

"Very well Mr Deeks, I just hope you're prepared for the aftermath if you are unsuccessful in changing her mind."

Hetty simply smiled as she turned and headed for her desk. He hadn't really thought about her not appreciating the efforts he was going to for her birthday, but maybe Hetty was right, maybe he should be preparing himself for a couple of bruises. With that thought in mind he smiled, opened his bag and began to organise the supplies.

A 'Happy Birthday' banner hung from the frames of the bullpen, surrounded by colourful balloons and streamers, party hats on all desks and a small box for the birthday girl wrapped with a red bow. Looking back at his work Deeks was rather pleased with himself; it sure looked like a party.

Turning his head to left he caught Hetty's eye, with a smile and nod of the head he knew he had Hetty's support and approval. Now he only had to hope that the birthday girl would appreciate his efforts; fingers crossed, right?

* * *

As the two tech analysts entered OSP Deeks heard Nell squeal as she ran towards the bull pen "Deeeeeks! When did you? Wow! I love it! Kensi is going to kill you, but I love it!" Eric simply laughed at his partner's reaction and reinforced her comment, "Yep, Kensi is going to kill you, but nice work." Thanking them, the pair then made there was up to OPS; Nell giggling as she turned back to admire Deeks's handiwork as they climbed the stairs.

"We have got to make sure we see Kensi's reaction to this! We just have to!"

Soon after the two senior agents arrived, making their way over to their desks.

"Uhh G, I think maybe Deeks has a death wish."

"Oh I don't think there's any maybe, he definitely has a death wish."

As the men walked closer Sam placed a firm hand on Deeks's shoulder before speaking in a humoured tone

"It's been great working with you man, see you in another life, yeah?"

Callen couldn't help but laugh as he sat down to find the birthday hat on his desk.

"Oh Deeks, this is going to hurt. It's going to reallyyyy hurt."

Despite their teasing of the detective the two men decided to play along, both putting on their party hats, waiting ever so anxiously for the arrival of the birthday girl.

* * *

Kensi never was a fan of birthdays; the idea of a day focused solely on her was never one she enjoyed, along with the fact of it simply being a reminder that you are a whole year older. Deeks would already mock her biological clock so why would she need a whole day to reinforce that truth? This is why birthdays were definitely something Kensi would be more than happy to bypass.

As she walked in OSP she was almost hoping that her team mates had in fact forgotten it was her 'special day' and that everything would just be as usual but when she saw the colourful balloons and streamers, the birthday banner and the hats she instantly knew that was definitely not going to be the case.

As she entered the bullpen she was welcomed by a unified "Happy Birthday" cry from the team. Although she didn't like birthdays she couldn't help but smile back at her team mates.

"So, I assume it's Deeks's butt I will be kicking later on?"

Everyone suddenly broke into unified laughter; there was no doubt that the interior decorating was courtesy of Deeks but there was also no doubt that Kensi did indeed appreciate the effort.

Turning to her desk she was surprised to notice the box with a small tag hanging from the ribbon, a single word written in familiar handwriting, 'Fern'. Without a second thought she smiled and looked to Deeks, only to find him sending her one of his trademark grins.

"What is it?"

"Well I do not know Fern, why don't you open it and find out?"

She was almost tempted but that grin was far too mischievous for her to open the box right then and there; it had to be some kind of trick, some kind of game.

"Mmm later, I'll open it later…"

"Suit yourself princess, it's your loss."

Her smile only grew as her eyes shifted from his broad grin back to the box; a sight that left her silently thinking to herself, 'perhaps birthdays aren't so bad after all'.

Hetty soon appeared at the bull pen wearing a bright red, sparkling party hat and bearing a celebratory smile.

"Happy Birthday Miss Blye. Now I hate to crash the party but Mr Beale and Miss Jones have just notified me that they have some new information on the case up in OPS."

Eric and Nell both eagerly appeared on the floor above the team, letting off party crackers to get their attention.

"Happy Birthday Kensi!" they both shouted

"Thanks guys" she replied, bearing a genuine smile.

"Now we hate to be the bearers of bad news but we have new information…"

"We know, Hetty just spoke with us, we're on our way up"

"Oh, way to steal my thunder Hetty" Eric slowly muttered under his breath

"I heard that Mr Beale!"

With a startled look spreading across his face the tech wizz turned on his heels and ran for safety, back to his home away from home, OPS.

* * *

Two weekends had passed; two weekends with similar child abductions and recoveries; two weekends with no new leads. It was always hard working a case with no visible light at the end of the tunnel but when children were involved and all leads ran dry it seemed to somehow darken the tunnel even more.

Walking into OPS the team were expecting the worst, to hear of yet another child abduction and that's exactly what they got. Nell was the first to begin introducing the latest case.

"On Friday morning two more girls were abducted, ten year old Katherine Pike and nine year old Christine South. Following routine, they were both abducted from a bus stop by a man in a red sedan."

Sam couldn't help but voice his frustration "Are you serious? After four consecutive weeks of abductions young girls are still getting into red sedans with strangers? Aren't parents and even teachers drumming it into their heads about stranger danger? Especially strangers in red sedans! This is ridiculous!"

"I'm sure they are Mr Hanna, but young children are still easily persuaded to enter dangerous situations without their knowing. Just look to Annabelle Thompson, all it took was for one man to say her Aunt was sick and she left without hesitation. We cannot blame the parents or the teachers; we can only blame our suspect. He is the one behind these crimes; He is the one we must focus on."

Silence fell upon OPS; although they all agreed with what Hetty had said, they too were on Sam's side. How could so many children still be falling for such a simple ruse?

Eric was the first to break the awkward silence with updates on the latest abduction.

"So, Katherine and Christine were found this morning at Greendale Athletic Track tied to a nearby tree in an identical manner as seen on the other girls; one leg of each girl tied together and the other to the tree. Forensics is currently running tests but it looks to be the same green rope used at all four scenes. Again the letters 'RDPS' were written in green paint right by the girls, they had no shoes and dyed brown hair in high pig tails."

Suddenly Eric fell silent and sent an anxious look Nell's way; one that she instantly replicated.

"Ok guys, what is that look about? What's the secret?"

They both looked to Deeks and then back to one another; it was an unspoken debate between the two analysts, told only through their eyes,

_'You tell them!'_

_'No, you tell them!'_

_'I don't want to tell them! You do it!_'

Finally Nell caved with a_ 'FINE! But you owe me big time!_' glare.

Slowly she turned to the team, her voice uneasy as she continued.

"Although many elements of this case seemed similar there was something new at the scene. Another note, it was left in Katherine's pocket…"

"Yes Miss Jones…"

With five sets of unknowing eyes on her, waiting for her to speak, Nell heard her voice catch before she spoke.

"The note… the note was addressed to one of you…"

Confused looks spread across the entire teams faces; confused but curious looks.

As Nell tapped away on her tablet an image appeared on the screen before them; an image of the note. A deafening silence filled the room as the agents read and interpreted the text. Suddenly similar questions were racing through their minds.

"Kensi?"

"Wait, how? Who?"

"What? Are you sure?"

"Ok guys, I know you're all super special agents with knowledge of every language in the world but would someone like to convert this to English for me? Please? What on earth does buon compleanno Kensi mean?"

Kensi didn't break contact with the screen as she stepped forward and spoke.

"Happy Birthday Kensi."

Without another word she turned and exited the room, leaving the agents in a silent shock.

What had just happened? How on earth could their suspect know of Kensi's birthday? It was now apparent this case was no longer solely personal for SSA Thompson; it had just become personal for each and every one of them.

* * *

Walking from OSP she wasn't even sure where she was headed, instead deciding to simply get in her car and go. Besides, it didn't matter where she ended up, she would still be stuck with thoughts and questions in her mind; the who, what, where, when, why and how's.

As she drove around town aimlessly she found herself growing irritated with a recurring thought.

'Why is it that when I'm in a hurry the traffic is crazy and I manage to stop at every red light but when I'm looking for time to stop and think, there isn't a car in sight and green is the only light I see!'

Finally she decided where to go, a destination to focus on, to use as a distraction, even if it would only be for a short amount of time.

* * *

Sitting alone on the white sand beach gave her time to stop and think, to stop and observe; A young boy and his father throwing a frisbee, a happy couple walking their dogs, hand in hand, children decorating sandcastles with slimy seaweed and a vast array of seashells. Normal people doing normal things on a normal day, a thought that Kensi could only imagine.

It seemed highly doubtful that any of these people had ever spent their birthday alone on the beach after being confronted by the fact that a criminal they were currently investigating had knowledge of their personal lives. It didn't even seem right sitting outside alone; if they knew her birthday did they know her address? Were they following her? Could that mean that there was someone watching her right now as the stared out into the ocean?

"You know, sitting alone on the beach watching little kids build sandcastles and playing frisbee could be taken the wrong way..."

She couldn't help but shake her head before looking up to her partner with a smile

"Ohh, so is that why you've decided to join me? Are you feeling a little self-conscious standing around all by yourself?"

"Hmm possibly, but not because I was watching the kids play in the sand; it's more likely because I was shamelessly staring at a beautiful brunette woman looking out to the ocean with a perhaps not so subtle smile on my face"

"And yet still you decided to sit with me?"

"Well yes, I guess it must be your lucky day!"

He had done it again; he had made her smile at a time when she was feeling distant and confused, at a time when she was silently afraid.

As Kensi turned to her partner she noticed a mischievous smile growing across his face, a smile that she knew all too well. He was definitely planning something in that mind of his; she just wasn't sure what it was.

As Deeks stood, he turned to offer Kensi his hand to pull her to her feet.

"So, since it's your birthday and all, shouldn't we be celebrating? I mean I don't know about you, but sitting here on the beach on a beautiful day like today looking out over that crystal blue water seems to be a little bit of a waste."

"What? I thought you loved the beach?"

"Well yes, I do love the beach… but what I love even more is the surf!"

In one swift movement, before she even had a chance to comprehend what was happening, she found herself cradled in his arms headed straight for the ocean.

"No, no, no, no, no! Deeks! NOO!"

As she emerged from the water, clothes dripping, hair tangled and clinging to her face, Kensi had only one thing on her mind… Revenge.

"So beach boy, will you be joining me out here or am I celebrating by myself?"

"Ha! Oh Fern, I'm having more than enough fun watching from back here. I've already told you that you need faster reflexes when you're with the jungle cat!"

"Faster reflexes huh?"

"Yep"

"So you mean something like… THIS!"

In a split second Kensi had her leg wrapped around his calf before rapidly tugging on it, sending Deeks backwards into a great splash.

As he stood, currently in the same saturated state that she was, Kensi couldn't help but laugh and send a satisfied look his way.

"Well then, it sure looks like the jungle cat has some tough competition, even if I do say so myself."

"Oh no, this is far from over!"

As Deeks leapt towards her, Kensi found herself giggling like a schoolgirl as she made her way to the shore, running through the sand in a desperate attempt to escape.

Slowing down, she turned to check just how great of a head start she had on her shaggy haired partner only to instantly be tackled to the ground. The laughter continued as wrestled on the sand, only coming to an end when they realised that they had become a distraction to the young children building their sandcastles.

"You see, the jungle cat still has his moves" he announced confidently.

"Yeah, yeah beach boy. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

An uncomfortable silence suddenly surrounded the pair following her reference to sleeping, causing Kensi to sit up and focus her attention back to crystal blue waters that sat before her.

Deeks found himself laying in perfect silence smiling up at his partner, watching as she seemed to study the ocean and it's every move. Kensi soon turned her head to look down at her partner only to find him smiling up at her, a sight that instantly triggered a smile in return. For a silent moment they were trapped in each other's eyes, only to be pulled back to reality by the sound of Deeks' ringing phone.

It seemed as though for a split second that moment had felt so intimate, so relaxed, yet with one minor disruption it was so easily engulfed by a sense of awkwardness.

Kensi had always hated only hearing one side of a phone conversation, but it just seemed even more irritating this time knowing that the conversation was going to be about her. However her frustration towards the call might also have something to do with what it had just interrupted.

"Hey Callen. Yeah I did. No, not too far. Alright we'll be there soon. Bye."

Ending the call, he looked back over to his partner only to find her staring blankly back at the ocean. Seeing her like that truly did crush him. He would give anything in the world to take away her hurt, but this time, he just couldn't.

"So Kens, they need us back at OSP"

"Mhmm…"

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Placing his hand to her shoulder he was startled to find that her first reaction was to lean her head against it; a gesture that instantly initiated his beaming smile.

"I was just thinking…"

"Mhmm…"

"How on earth are we supposed to explain our current attire to the team?"

"Well, we're pretty good at thinking on our feet, I'm sure we'll work something out once we arrive. However in the case of an emergency… you started it!"

The two broke into a unified laughter, amazed at just how juvenile their afternoon had become.

"Wow Deeks, you never cease to amaze me."

"I'm taking that as a compliment."

"Of course you are."

With a mischievous smirk Deeks couldn't help but add another suggestion.

"Or, I mean if you don't want to show up in dripping clothes you could always just take them off…"

As Kensi turned to her partner bearing her most sultry smile she added "What? And spoil the surprise?"

Deeks felt his jaw instantly drop before soon turning ever so slowly into an incredibly intrigued smile.

As they both stood, shaking off as much sand as they possibly could, Deeks continued to prove just how immature he really could be.

"Race you to the car!"

As he took off Kensi simply shook her head and sighed, she couldn't help but laugh at his child like charm.

Making her way towards the car she found herself silently speaking to herself

"Why do I put up with this? Why?"

As she attempted to reply to her own question she found herself tripping over the answer.

"Because I lo... no, no I can't. I don't... Do I? No, it's Deeks… Deeks"

Shaking off her unsure response Kensi joined her partner at the car and headed off on their way back to the team.

* * *

Walking into the bull pen they were met by the two startled faces of Callen and Sam

"Uhh, so guys… care to explain?"

Both Kensi and Deeks looked to each other with a subtle grin before returning their attention back to the men. Deeks began to speak, slight hesitation noted in his voice.

"Well we were just sitting on the beach…"

But before he had a chance to elaborate any further he was interrupted by Kensi's call.

"He started it!"

The two senior agents simply stood stunned before turning to one another.

"Did she really just say that?"

"See, I was waiting for that one from Deeks"

"You think he would have learnt by now that you can't expect to stay the top of your game at anything after teaching that woman. She will always out do you."

The two men chuckled as they made their way past the pair.

"We should have known it was coming, the day that Kensi would out-Deeks, Deeks."

"Miss Blye, Mr Deeks, I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation as to your current dress situation however I am willing to let it slide this time. Miss Blye, may I please speak with you in my office."

"Yes, of course Hetty."

Although she had a pretty good idea as to what the conversation would be about, she couldn't help but feel increasingly anxious as she followed the petite woman to her desk.

* * *

"Now Miss Blye, I'm sure you're aware of why I have called you here"

"Well yes, I think I have a pretty good idea."

"Ok, good. Now with the latest development, the letter that was addressed to you, it has now created a personal connection between you and the case. I'm sorry Miss Blye but I have no choice but the officially remove you from the investigative team."

"Hetty, please don't do this, I have to apart of this investigation. They are obviously looking to personally torment me; I'm the one that they want. What happens if I'm taken off the case and they disappear and take Annabelle with them?"

"Yes Miss Blye, I am well aware of this…"

"So why am I getting put off?"

"You're not."

"What?"

"Officially I must remove you from the case. Officially. Unofficially however I believe you are an asset to this investigation. It seems unlikely that our suspect would have aimlessly selected one member from our team and decided to react with such taunting behaviour. I believe you may have a history with our suspect; you must have crossed paths at some time. I need you to delve into your past Miss Blye; I need you to search for any possible link to any element of this case, regardless of how small and insignificant it may seem."

"Thank you Hetty."

"You're welcome Miss Blye, now gather your things, head home and begin your trek down memory lane."

* * *

It was the sound of Kensi's stomach rumbling that awoke her from her searching trance; noticing it was just past 9pm she was shocked to realise that she had been rummaging through old photos for almost two hours; meaning two hours without eating a single thing. She knew that if Deeks were around he would make some sarcastic joke about it, how she was probably about to leave the city of Los Angeles with a massive food shortage, or that she would soon be on a savage rampage due to sugar deprivation.

Suddenly it hit her; Deeks. Fighting back the tears she felt her heart sink; it was her birthday, she was hungry, but the one thing that hurt most was that she was alone.

Making her way towards the kitchen she was startled by the knocking at her front door. At that very time all she could think was 'go away'; she was far from any kind of socialising mood with her neighbours, and if it was Mrs Tomms from next door asking if she could grab her son's remote control helicopter from her veranda again Kensi was sure that she was on the verge of screaming.

Preparing for the worst, she opened the door with a forced smile only for it to be instantly traded for the real thing as the shaggy haired man she had only just been wishing for now stood before her.

"Hey! I was just…"

Suddenly Kensi felt her cheeks grow warmer at her near slip of the tongue.

"You were just what, Princess? Thinking about me?" He said with a sly smile.

"No, I was just about to get something to eat, but you seem to have that covered. Now come inside before anyone sees you in that ridiculous hat!"

"What do you mean ridiculous? It's your birthday; it's a birthday hat, so I see nothing ridiculous in that equation."

"Whatever Deeks, just come inside"

Walking past he leant in and whispered softly in her ear.

"Nice save by the way..."

Again Kensi could feel her cheeks redden and so pretended to struggle with locking the door behind her, giving her cheeks just enough time to return to normal before returning to face her partner.

It seemed as though the moment she inhaled the incredible scent of her now, birthday meal that her stomach couldn't help but voice it's over whelming anticipation. The growling of her stomach caused Deeks to laugh as he looked to his partner and shook his head with a humoured smile.

"Let me guess, if your stomach is making that much noise you mustn't have eaten in hmmm, seven minutes?"

"Hey! It has not been seven minutes!"

"Ok sorry you're right, it's probably been more like three."

After a playful punch to the arm she proudly stated "No actually, it's been two hours!"

In the usual over dramatic Deeks manner he instantly threw down the fork and covered his mouth with both hands.

"Woah! What?! Are you ok?! Do you need a doctor?!"

"Oh shut it Deeks! I've been busy and just kind of… forgot. Besides, I thought it was my birthday! You're not supposed to be such an ass to the birthday girl!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest in an angered childlike manner.

As Deeks took a step back, the grin on his face simply grew.

"Why are you smiling at me like that? It's creepy!"

"Oh Fern, you are just way too cute when you get mad, and the best bit is that you make it oh so easy."

"Oh whatever, let's just eat before…"

"Before that stomach of yours causes an earthquake!"

* * *

As Kensi stood in attempt to clear the table she was stopped as Deeks laid his hand gently on her arm.

"Allow me. Besides, I have to make up for being an ass to the birthday girl."

"Oh Deeks you know I didn't mean that…"

"No, no I insist."

"Fineee, I guess it isn't all that out of the ordinary for you to play housewife anyway, is it?" she said with a slight smirk as she turned and made her way towards the couch.

Looking down at the array of photo albums and boxes of memorabilia she returned to her previous head space. Returning to not only her past, but to the memory of why it was that she was reliving it; because there was a little girl who has been kidnapped and was being held by someone who is making it their mission to personally taunt her.

Suddenly the room went dark and for a single moment Kensi was lost as to why; that was until she noticed the flickering flame that was heading towards her. As he walked closer she realised what it was Deeks was carrying; a Twinkie on a small white plate with a single candle held in the center.

Kensi attempted to hold back her emotions but she wasn't even sure which one's they were. She wanted to smile, laugh and cry all at once; with this one simple gesture she couldn't help but crumble.

Noticing the tear on Kensi's cheek he sat the Twinkie on the coffee table beside them and wrapped his arm around her.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? You're not afraid of the dark are you?"

After a slight punch to Deeks' side she spoke between slight sniffles

"No you idiot, I'm not afraid of the dark! I just… Thank you."

"You're welcome princess, now blow out the candle and make a wish!"

As Kensi sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes she smiled as she leant over and gently kissed Deeks' cheek.

"I already got my wish."

Despite the shock of her actions, he couldn't help but turn to her with a beaming smile.

"So you were thinking about me earlier, weren't you?"

As they laughed, Deeks stood to turn on the light and grab them both a celebratory beer. Upon returning to the couch he noticed that Kensi had already devoured the Twinkie and every single crumb from the plate.

"Since it's your birthday, and only because it's your birthday I am going to refrain from commenting on your apparent ability to consume food without first chewing it."

"Uhh Deeks…"

"Yeah?"

"You do realise that by stating that you won't comment on it, you in fact did comment on it."

"Aha! I knew it!"

"Knew what?"

"That you princess, are more than just a pretty face."

"Thanks… I think?"

After a moment of silence Deeks found himself scanning over the photo albums that lay all over the table before them; Kensi as a tiny baby, as a toddler being taught to walk with father and as a small school girl, proudly holding a reading certificate of excellence in both hands while bearing a toothy grin.

"Woah woah woah! What do we have here Miss Blye?"

"No Deeks! Give that back!"

Upon taking possession of the book he instantly launched himself from the couch and ran to the opposite site of the coffee table.

"June 25th, 1998; What is it with cheerleaders? Why do all the guys go crazy for them? Just because they wear some skimpy skirts and dance around with green and white pom poms; I don't get it. Maybe I should join the cheerleading squad, maybe that way Ryan will notice me; finally see me with those crystal blue eyes of his. Shaggy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, my exact recipe of perfection. One day I will have my prince charming, one day."

For a moment everything was still but as Deeks watched his partner drop her head he couldn't help but break the silence with laughter.

Dropping back down beside his partner he threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"I guess you were right princess, you really did get your wish!"

"What happened to not being an ass to the birthday girl?"

"How could I do that? I'm the epitome of your personal recipe of perfection! Pretty sure that means I can do no wrong."

"Mmm, but that recipe was established as a young teenager, things might have changed…"

"Well tell me Fern, have they?"

As she shuffled in closer and laid her head on his chest, she sighed softly before speaking.

"Yeah they have… I've added annoying, frustrating and irritating as all hell to the list."

He could feel the smile that crept across her face through the fine fabric of his shirt, only causing his lips to do the exact same.

"Oh and just for the record, if you're still considering joining the cheerleading squad I'd be happy to watch you train, maybe give you a few tips."

She couldn't help but punch his side for that comment.

"Way to kill the mood Deeks!"

"Hey, I'm just making sure to tick all of your boxes!"

"Ughh, what have I started!"

"Well I'm not completely sure yet, I still have plenty more of that diary to read…"

"No you don't! You've seen more than enough!"

"Oh I believe there is plenty more to see; bad ass Blye has many, many more secrets kept within these boxes."

Between yawns Kensi was able to deliver one final retort.

"I'm sure I do, perhaps I'll share them with my prince charming when I find him."

As her eyes fluttered shut Deeks couldn't help but chuckle at just how adorable his partner was. She may say she is yet to meet her prince charming but he was more than sure that he had met his princess. As he gently ran his fingers through her hair, he could feel his eyes too beginning to flicker.

Finishing the day with a smile on his face and a princess in his arms he quietly added "Happy Birthday Kens."

* * *

"Just checking in; looks as though Kensi and this detective are a little more than just work friends. He's been over for hours and from what I can see it seems that she is more than comfortable falling asleep in his arms."

A deafening silence engulfed the call before it was finally broken by an apprehensive voice.

"Uhh, did you hear what I just said?"

"Yes of course I heard what you said!"

"Oh, ok well what now?"

"What now is that this Marty Deeks character is going to soon regret ever meeting my Kensi; nobody steals my girl and walks away unscathed!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Again, WOW!**

**Thanks everyone for all of those reviews! I'm so glad you're liking the story! :)**

**Now since I'm home alone without a valentine I decided to give you all another chapter!**

**This one reveals a few secrets but trust me, there are plenty more to come! **

**Who needs roses on Valentines Day anyways? I'm more than happy with some reviews! :D**

* * *

Chapter 5

Kensi found herself victim of a rude awakening as her alarm buzzed in its annoyingly high pitch tone. Rolling over to turn it off she found herself instantly reliving the previous night. Last thing she remembered was sitting on the couch with Deeks as he read her high school diary, after that it was a complete blank.

'So how did I… Deeks?'

She couldn't help but smile at the thought of her partner carrying her to bed, of him staying with her as she finally got the sleep she had so desperately needed. It seemed to be somewhat repaying the favour, she had helped him with his insomnia after his ordeal with Siderov and now, although under different conditions, he had done the same for her.

Making her way to the kitchen she was surprised to find a small note left on the bench,

**_'Princess,_**

**_ Your Prince Charming was required back at his castle this morning as his valiant steed required some breakfast, after which he needed to return to the kingdom in order to track down and rescue a small princess. Although he isn't with you at the moment, know that he is thinking of you… in that cheer leading uniform ;) _**

- **_Prince Charming' _**

The smile that radiated from cheek to cheek was so great that it almost hurt. She found herself once again speaking to no one but herself, "Oh Deeks, what would I do without you."

After finishing breakfast Kensi was shocked to notice the time and just how late she currently was. As she grabbed her keys and headed for the door she noticed a small bag hanging from the handle; it was the box that Deeks had left on her desk.

'He must have brought it along with him last night' she silently thought, as a smile crept across her face. Knowing she was simply running into OSP for a quick talk with Hetty and to pick up some paperwork Kensi decided to leave the box behind and open it when she returned.

* * *

Walking into OSP that morning, before even getting a chance to greet her coworkers the team was being called into OPS from above, as Eric sounded is all too familiar whistle call. As she watched her male co-workers make their way up the stairs Kensi headed towards her desk to retrieve the paperwork that Hetty had requested she collect.

Making her way to the desk she was startled by the large package that sat before her. Leaning in closer she noticed yet another tag in the same familiar handwriting; 'Fern'.

'What on earth is that boy up to now?' she instantly thought as she turned and made her way towards Hetty's office.

* * *

"Ok guys, so the forensics reports were sent through to us this morning and have revealed some interesting facts. It appears that the green rope found at all scenes, tying the girls together, was in fact the same, as was the green paint and the brunette hair dye. However there has been one anomaly, in the case of the handwriting it appears to have involved more than one person. It may simply suggest an increased stress level causing slight abnormalities in one's writing form or…"

Deeks couldn't help but finish Eric's sentence, this case had become far too personal for him not too

"It could mean we have more than one suspect."

"Well, yes."

Silence fell within the room until Deeks broke it with the one thought currently consuming all of their minds

"So if there's at least two suspects, of which we know at least one of them has a history with Kensi, it now means that there's at least two people on the lookout for her? Possibly even more?"

Callen was quick to speak, in an almost subtle attempt to refocus Deeks back to the case at hand and the new evidence they had been provided with

"Ok thanks Eric. I need you and Nell to look into all possible areas where these products could have been purchased, hopefully there's something in there that makes them unique and easier to locate. Deeks I want you to find Kensi and fill her in on these developments; hopefully she is closer to locating possible suspects from her past. Sam and I will return to Peter and Julie, perhaps something regarding this evidence will spark a memory and some possible new information. Ok, let's go."

* * *

As the three men made their way back to the bullpen they were surprised to be met by Kensi

"Hey Kens, what are you doing here? I thought you were on house arrest?"

"No Deeks, just because I'm officially off the case doesn't mean I can't leave my house. Hetty asked me to come in and grab some paperwork, so here I am. However I could ask the same about the box. What's it doing here? Is this because I didn't…"

The cunning smile that spread across his face was soon traded for a look of sheer disappointment and hurt.

"Wait, you… You didn't open the birthday box, did you?"

"Deeks, I, I was in a hurry and I…"

"Never mind it doesn't matter. I've got stuff to do; I'll be back later."

"Deeks! Wait!"

It was no use, Deeks was gone and he wasn't coming back. Instantly Kensi began a war in her mind, solely against herself and her deep regret, 'Damn it! Damn it Kensi, you idiot! He does nothing but care and what do you do? You continue to throw it all back in his face! Why?!' She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, collecting the box and grabbing her keys Kensi made her way from the building and back home with nothing more in mind than to open that box; both of those boxes.

* * *

Between carrying the large box in one arm, her bag falling off the other, the hair on her face and her shaking hands, opening her front door had never been so difficult. She's supposed to be the expert at picking locks but when it came to using a key it seemed to be an impossible task.

Finally hearing the lock click Kensi let out a sigh of relief and rushed inside, throwing her bag on the floor and heading straight for the dining table, placing the large box down in front of her.

Thirty seconds ago she had visions of simply ripping the box apart in sheer desperation of wanting to know what was inside, but with it now sitting before her she suddenly froze. As she took a deep breath she found herself feeling even more ridiculous

"Why am I worried about opening a damn box? Just do it Kensi. Just open it!"

Reluctantly she removed the wrapping only to find a blank cardboard box inside

"What the hell Deeks?"

Opening the box she found herself laughing out loud with a smile on her face. Before her were two green and white pompoms with a small note attached at the side

'I was serious about helping you train ;)'

She was never going to live this one down, but truth be told, she wasn't sure that she ever really wanted to. Deeks now knew one more thing about her, one more thing that nobody else did.

Pushing the box to the side Kensi grabbed the small bag from the door handle and sat back at the dining table. Again she froze, but this time it seemed to be for a lot longer. Whatever was in this box, whatever Deeks had given to her, it clearly meant a lot to him, he wouldn't have acted the way he did over a pair of pompoms.

As she slowly opened the box she found herself taken aback by its contents, Kensi couldn't help but gasp as she looked down at the necklace that sat before her. A sparkling violet amethyst crystal surrounded by tiny diamonds, hanging from a perfectly simple white gold chain. Sitting alone, staring silently at the necklace Kensi felt a single tear fall from her eye; It was no wonder Deeks was so hurt that she had ignored the gift, twice.

Putting on the necklace Kensi grabbed her keys and headed out to find her partner; she had to make sure he knew how much she loved his present, and how sorry she was for taking so long to appreciate it.

* * *

Kensi felt as though she had been driving for days in desperate search of her partner. She had tried his apartment, the pier and of course the beach with no success. It suddenly dawned on her, another location he could possibly be hiding out at.

Pushing open the door Kensi found herself instantly welcome by her favourite local barman

"Sarah! It's great to see you again! I haven't seen you and the boys for a few weeks now."

Kensi was off in her own little world and almost completely forgot about her alias, the one that comes by the bar often with her male colleagues.

"Sorry Rob, we've just been a little busy and haven't had times for post work drinks."

"No worries, I completely understand. So I assume you're here to meet up with that shaggy haired friend of yours. What was his name again? Docks?"

Despite her current concerned and somewhat stressed state Kensi still couldn't help but laugh at his incorrect attempt at Deeks' name

"No no, it's Deeks but yes I did come to see him. Where is he?"

"He's sitting over in the back corner by the window, I'm not sure that he's moved once since he got here."

"Ok, thanks Rob. Was good to see you again"

"You too Sarah."

Making her way further into the pub she was soon able to see her partner, indeed sitting by the back window. Looking at him Kensi felt an overwhelming sense of guilt wash over her; He did not look happy, it fact he looked rather broken. With no idea in mind of what to say to him once she arrived she simply headed straight for him, unable to draw out this incredibly unpleasant situation any longer.

Nervously Kensi took the seat directly opposite and watched as he failed to move a single muscle. He was hurt and had every right to be, she had ignored his incredibly kind and caring nature; twice.

"It was my mothers."

"Deeks, I'm so sor..."

"She told me to hold onto it until I found the one person who stole my heart. You stole my heart a long time ago Kens, I just figured your birthday would be a good time to prove it. I don't deserve a woman as amazing as you, but I have no idea what I would do without you."

As a single tear made its way down her left cheek as she was finally met by his crystal blue eyes.

"Thank you Deeks, thank you so much. I really do love it, it's beautiful."

As a small smile spread across her face she then added

"Well, since you believe you don't deserve me, to which you could not be any more wrong, how about you attempt to win my affection hmm? With a cold beer perhaps?"

Finally Kensi was greeted by his glistening smile

"Of course princess… Besides, I love a cheap date"

Suddenly Deeks felt a pain to his left shin as his partner kicked him from under the table

"You're lucky we're in public Fern or else I would be left with no choice but to return your brutality."

As he stood beside her smiling he quickly leant down and whispered in her ear

"Oh and for the record, that necklace isn't nearly as beautiful as you."

After kissing her temple he turned and headed straight for the bar.

Kensi was completely taken aback by his words and by his actions; feeling her cheeks as they began to gently warm. Why was it so hard to have a conversation with that man without her heart skipping beat or without finding her cheeks beginning to flare?

"He really is my prince charming, isn't he?"

* * *

Returning with two cold beers in hand he places them both on the table before taking a seat.

"Sooooo who you talking to, hmm?"

"Wha? I wasn't talking to anyone…"

"Oh yes you were Kensalina, yes you were"

"Was not!"

"Damn Kens, you are just too damn adorable when you get defensive"

Kensi sent an unimpressed glare his way before taking a drink from the bottle that sat before her.

A few silent moments passed before Deeks spoke again with a charming smile planted across his face

"So princess, how am I doing so far? Winning your affection yet?"

"Hmm perhaps, the night is still young."

"I like the sound of that!"

"Oh get your head out of the gutter Deeks, geez"

"Sorry Fern, can't blame a man for trying."

After rolling her eyes the pair sat in silence again for a few moments as they happily sipped their beers.

"Hey Kens?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't rip my head off, but please tell me what's up with you and please don't say you're fine. I know you've slept a few times when I've been around but I can tell something is still keeping you awake at night."

"Deeks, don't…"

"Please Kensi, I am really worried about you."

"Well you don't need to be, so please stop."

"I don't want to keep having this discussion…"

"Discussion? Are you kidding me? This is more like an interrogation! I don't get a say, it's just you firing the questions at me! Why is it so hard for you to do as I ask and stop worrying?"

"Kens…"

"I'm going to the bathroom. That should give you enough time to work out another topic of conversation before I get back."

With that, Deeks sat completely stunned as he watched his partner walk away.

* * *

As she stormed off towards the bathroom Kensi found her mind filling with millions of mixed thoughts and emotions. How much she hated the attention and the worry but then again how much she couldn't believe that people could really care so much for her. It was all because of one stupid nightmare, one that just started and wouldn't leave her alone, one that had caused so much drama over the past weeks.

Suddenly all of Kensi thoughts were abandoned and instantly traded with an overwhelming sense of confusion and fear

"No. No. No. This isn't happening. This isn't real. What. No. Kensi wake up. No…"

"Well, well, well fancy seeing you here Kitty K."

"W...ww…what are you doing? How did you? No. How did you find me?"

"Let's just say I've been a very busy man. Well both me and my partners in crime that is."

"What? Who?"

"Just over there, by the bar with that detective friend of yours…"

"How did you know he was a detec…"

As Kensi turned to face the bar she was shocked to see the man currently talking with her partner. Before she had a chance to react she felt the barrel of a gun gently pressed against her lower back, preventing her from screaming out to warn Deeks of the danger he was in.

"Come on K, we need to talk."

Reluctantly Kensi followed the man's instructions, not wanting to start a gun fight in the middle of the pub, possibly putting the lives of civilians at risk. She headed for the back door having no idea what fate awaited her once she arrived.

'This can't be happening' she so desperately thought, 'my worst nightmare is coming true'.

* * *

Upon entering the alley Kensi was suddenly struck by an overwhelming sense of fear. Kensi was a strong woman, she could handle any dangerous situation and always come out on top but that was when the opponent was simply a person, someone completely unknown to her.

This time was different, she knew her opponent personally as well as the one inside speaking with her partner. She knew that both she and Deeks were in danger and she also knew just what animals they were up against. Kensi's biggest fear however was that she had no way of warning Deeks.

"Vince? Vince… Shillings?"

"Awww Kitty K, you do remember me? See I knew we were meant for each other, no distance can keep apart two hearts in love."

"What!? You sick bastard! There is no love! I despise you! You destroyed my life! You're nothing more than a pathetic waste of space!"

"Aww baby come on, I know you don't mean that."

"DON'T BABY ME YOU CREEP!"

"Ahhh geez I've missed you K. My heart broke into a million pieces the day you changed schools."

"Oh shut up! You were 12! And you don't have a heart!"

"My, my, my Kitty K you are quite the aggressor aren't you? I'd like to think I instilled that trait in you, seeing I was the first person you found yourself needing to fend off. Either way I find it incredibly sexy. So please, do continue."

"How did you find me?"

"Oh I have a friend on the inside. I've been working a very long time trying to find you Kitty K; a very, very long time."

An evil smile spread across the man's face; he was definitely toying with her, provoking her defensive ways, which only made it all the more difficult to control her temper and avoid giving him what he wanted.

"Why are you here Vince? What do you want from me?"

"Oh I just wanted to make sure that I got credit for all my hard work. I must say, the fact that after all these weeks you're still dry of any new leads really is rather disappointing. I mean where's the fun in hide and seek if there's nobody out there looking for you?"

"You... You have Annabelle?"

"Why yes I do, but don't worry she's safe. You know how much I care for children…"

"I swear if you have laid one hand on that little girl I'll ensure you're subject to an incredibly slow and excruciatingly painful death!"

"Meowwwww! See, you really know how to get me going."

Gritting her teeth Kensi struggled in an attempt to untie her hands from behind her back; she had to get out of here and sooner rather than later.

"So you and Demetri, you're the ones behind all of the abductions? And that letter. How did you know it was my birthday?"

"Firstly, yes we are responsible for the abductions and secondly; both Demetri and I have celebrated that day every year for the past 20 years, every year hoping we would find you and as luck would have it, this year it just happened to be our lucky day."

"Well if you two are behind the abductions then what was with all the ridiculous markers you left at every scene? The paint? The hair? The bound legs?"

"So tell me, you're supposed to be a 'special agent' and yet you didn't pick up on ANY of my clues. My, my, I'm somewhat disappointed Kitty K"

"Stop with the pet names Vince! What the hell do you want!"

"I told you, I just want some recognition for my work. Now, where were we? Oh! That's right, my 'signatures'. Let's start with what I thought would be the obvious clues; RDPS written in green paint, well correct me if I'm wrong but did we not go to 'Royal Drive Public School' and was our school uniform not green? Now the brunette hair in high piggy tails…"

Kensi could feel the colour draining from her face as the pieces started to fit together

"That… that's how I used to always wear my hair…"

"Well done K, you're catching on! The bound legs, a bit like the 3 legged race wouldn't you say? Now that you're aware of my presence I will remain on your mind, won't I? You'll be forever tied to me now"

It seemed as though the cockiness of his voice continued to grow with every word

"Now the time frame, Friday – Monday, I thought it was fitting given that's how long I had to wait every damn week until I could see you again. Then of course there's Annabelle's age, I mean I know that she's 6 and that when we met when you were 8 and that I lost you when you were 10 but I thought it close enough. I mean really the main reason was that she had a father with links to NCIS which ultimately led to my link with you."

As he finished his spiel Vince took another step closer to Kensi, until he had her firmly pinned against the brick wall. Kensi could feel her blood boil, listening to his pathetic reasons for doing all that he is done was truly infuriating her.

"You can't lose something you never had, Vince!"

With that comment Kensi saw a sudden change in his eyes; they turned from arrogant to furious only causing Kensi to smile.

However it didn't last long, Kensi was then overcome with an incredible pain to her abdomen; looking down she watched as the blood rapidly stained her blouse.

"If that's true K, then I guess the same thing goes for that mop head doesn't it? He never truly had you, did he? He has never known the true you, has he? So, here's one for him."

Kensi was overwhelmed but yet another stab to the abdomen, but she used all of her strength not to scream out in pain; she just couldn't allow Vince to see her surrender to the agony.

"Let's just go once more for luck, shall we?"

Again Kensi was overcome by incredible pain only this time Vince released his grip and let her fall to the ground. She knew she was losing too much blood but still she couldn't let him walk out having the last word.

"You… you will… never… win."

Crouching down beside her he gently ran his fingers through her hair and across her fine cheek bones

"Oh but I already have Kitty K, I already have. Now I have to go, I've got to have a word with that 'partner' of yours."

With that, Kensi felt her eye lids grow heavy and was unable to stop the cold darkness that suddenly consumed her.

Standing, he let out a satisfied laugh as he re-entered the pub, ready to begin part B of his malicious plan.

Making his way over to the bar he couldn't wipe the evil smile from his face, one that his partner recognised oh so well.

"Demetri we have to go. Detective Deeks…"

"Yes? Wait, how did you…"

"You'd better go find your girlfriend; she's _dying_ to see you."

* * *

"Alright then boys, Part A complete onto to Part B! Now we're going to need some supplies, we won't be able to rely solely on our good looks this time." As the three men laughed their leader soon continued "Ok, since that pretty boy detective is now aware of both me and Demetri it's your turn to step up to the job, alright? We need this to be a simple in and out job, don't catch yourself in a standstill whilst staring at her. Trust me; I know it's a hell of a lot easier said than done. She truly is the epitome of perfection."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about the delay on this chapter, I've been really busy with work. I'll try to get the next chapter up a little faster.**

**I'm hoping this chapter somewhat makes up for the last one... I hope it wasn't the final scene of the previous chapter that caused the drop in reviews :(**

**Thanks for all the new follows/favourites **

**Please leave me a review, I'd love to know if people are still enjoying the story or not...**

* * *

Chapter 6

_"Demetri we have to go. Detective Deeks…"_

_"Yes? Wait, how did you…" _

_"You'd better go find your girlfriend; she's __**dying**__ to see you."_

* * *

Deeks found himself overcome with a great wave of fear and confusion; 'Who the hell were they?' was his first thought but that was instantly traded by a far more important realisation; Kensi was in trouble.

Running towards the rear of the pub, heading straight for the bathrooms Deeks found himself pushing through the women's door without a second thought.

"Kensi! Kensi! Are you in here?!"

There was no reply from his partner, instead he was surrounded by the shocked screams of the unknowing women as the stood fixing their make up in the large mirrors.

"You creep! Get out of here!"

"Pervert!"

The insults seemed to go completely unnoticed by the detective, he was solely focussed on his partner's voice; everything else was simply a muffled inconvenience.

Running from the bathrooms he desperately looked for another possible scenario; where else could she be? If that creep had come from this section, she had to be around here somewhere!

Turning he noticed the side fire door was left slightly ajar

"Oh god, no!"

As he ran to the door, pushing it open with all of his strength, adrenaline and an overwhelming sense of fear consuming him, he was sure he felt his heart stop as he realised who lay before him.

"KENSI!"

Running towards her he crashed down on his knees, a crushing feeling began racing throughout his body.

"Oh god Kens! Kens, please wake up! Kensi!"

Upon seeing her blood stained blouse he slightly lifted it only to be confronted by the severity of her wounds. Three deep stab wounds covered her abdomen, blood pouring profusely from them.

Placing one hand across the wounds he anxiously grabbed his phone from his back pocket, pressing speed dial and waiting for the familiar voice on the other end.

"Hey Deeks, what's…"

"ERIC! I NEED AN AMBULANCE NOW! KENSI HAS BEEN STABBED! JUST GET ME AN AMBULANCE! RIGHT NOW!"

"What! Ok, I'm tracking your location… come on, come on, come on! Ok! Ambulance is on the way! Deeks what happened?!"

"I don't know! I can't talk, she's losing too much blood!"

With that Deeks ended the call and turned all of his attention back to his partner as she lay ever so lifeless before him.

Pressing down on her wounds in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding he heard a muffled noise; it was Kensi.

"Hey, hey Kens it's ok. Help is on the way, just stay with me ok?"

"Dee…"

"Yes Kens, it's me. You're going to be ok, alright?"

Simply watching his partner, being unable to remove his hands from her wounds, was killing him. He wanted to wipe the hair from her face, to gently caress her fine cheek bones, he wanted to hold her, but he simply couldn't; All he could do was to sit back and apply pressure to her abdomen while helplessly watching as her eyes rolled around in her head, listening as she struggled to even speak one word.

"Dee…"

"Shh Kens, save your energy ok? I'm here, I'm not going anywhere ok? Help is on the way."

Deeks suddenly heard his voice crack as he pleaded with his partner

"Please… please stay with me."

* * *

Deeks felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins increase as he heard the sound of sirens

"Kens, Kens they're here! Just stay with me, ok?"

As the EMT's arrived Deeks was quick to fill them in on the situation

"Hurry! Please! She's been stabbed three times in the abdomen, she's in and out of consciousness, and there's… there's so much blood!"

One of the EMT's places a calming hand to Deeks shoulder as he spoke

"Please sir, you need to let us do our jobs"

"No, I can't let go, she's going to lose too much blood!"

"Sir please! Step away!"

Reluctantly Deeks stood back from his partner, watching as the men checked over her, speaking in their own medical language.

Fury suddenly took over Deeks' mind as he headed towards the brick wall, punching in with all of his might. A sickening crack was heard as his hand made contact with the wall.

"AHHHH!"

As two of the EMT's lifted Kensi onto the stretcher and pushed her towards the ambulance the third EMT instantly made his way over to Deeks

"Sir, what the hell was that for?!"

"For being an idiot! This is all my fault! She could die and it's all my fault!"

"Sir I'm going to need you to come with me, it looks like you've definitely injured wrist and I can only imagine what that must have just done to your knuckles!"

"I deserve it! I'm fine!"

At the use of that word Deeks suddenly felt his eyes fill with tears

"What have I done? Oh god Kens, please forgive me."

As the EMT guided Deeks into the back of the ambulance he felt the pain instantly disappear as he looked down at his partner. She was already connected to so many machines; there were cables everywhere with the sounds of beeping machines surrounding him.

Sitting beside her in the ambulance, using his unbroken hand, he took the opportunity to do what he couldn't do just minutes earlier. Wiping the hair from her face and running his thumb along her fine cheek bones Deeks let out a great sigh

"Oh Kens, I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry."

* * *

Arriving at the hospital they were instantly bombarded with an array of doctors and nurses, all rattling off words in the same medical language. As they began to push Kensi towards the ER Deeks made a great leap towards them

"Wait! Wait, I'm going with her"

"I'm sorry sir but you cannot be present in the ER. Your partner needs immediate surgical attention and by standing here you are only holding her back!"

Deeks instantly hung his head and took a step back, he knew he couldn't go with her, but the thought that he may never see her again was one that played ever so heavily on his heart.

"Please save her. Please. She can't die. I can't lose her."

"We will do everything we can Mr Deeks, you have my word."

With that, Deeks watched as they wheeled his partner away through the large double doors, praying to god that she would be alright.

"Now Mr Deeks, we need to get someone to take a look at your hand."

For that time Deeks had completely forgotten about his own self-inflicted injury, his entire mind was focussed solely on Kensi. Looking down to his hand he felt his knees grow weak

"Oh… wow"

And with that everything suddenly went dark.

* * *

There were fine snowflakes falling from the sky, adding to the already dense layers of snow. There were three boys in the middle of a snowball fight; hiding behind trees and park benches in desperate attempt to prevent being hit. Two girls were building a snowman complete with a carrot nose and a woollen scarf as well as what appeared to be snow dog beside him, perhaps a cat? A rabbit maybe? Well there was something. There were people on the slopes, skiing and snowboarding, some simply sitting at a café with a hot chocolate in hand, enjoying the perfect day. Then there was something, something that caught her attention; standing by the lake's edge was a man… her man, bearing his trademark Deeks smile.

* * *

"Excuse me miss, we're looking for Kensi Blye and Marty Deeks"

The young woman was quick to recognise the two men standing before her

"Mr Callen, Mr Hanna, hello again. Just let me check those names for you."

As they anxiously awaited a response Sam couldn't help but find his foot tapping in a far from subtle manner.

"It looks as though Miss Blye is currently in surgery and Mr Deeks has been relocated to Level 3, Room 17"

The two men stood before her, a shocked looked spread across their faces

"Wait? Deeks has been admitted? What happened?"

"I'm sorry Mr Hanna, I don't have any medical documents here, just simply a record of who is currently in our care, you'll have to head up and speak to his doctor to find out what has happened"

"Ok then, thanks again."

Walking back towards the team the men were met by three incredibly concerned faces.

"Ok, so where's Deeks? I thought he'd be out here waiting for us."

"Uhh, Deeks has been admitted…"

"Wait, what? What happened to him? When he rang he only said it was Kensi who was injured! I promise that's what he said! He hung up so quickly I didn't get to ask any questions…"

"Yes Eric we know, nobody is blaming you. Something must have happened between then and the time he arrived here. The receptionist couldn't give us any information on his condition, she told us to go up and speak with his doctor."

"Well then Mr Callen, what are we waiting for!"

* * *

Arriving at the third floor the team went on a search for Deeks' doctor, needing answers to the thousands of questions currently running through their heads.

"Uhh excuse me, are you the family of Mr Marty Deeks?"

"Yes we are! Where is he? We need to see him!"

Nell couldn't even attempt to hide her concern and overwhelming anticipation for the truth.

"I'm sorry, but I can only speak with Mr Deeks' family at this point, a Miss Henrietta Lange. I also need permission from the patient before I can allow any of you to visit."

Hetty was quick to step forward and introduce herself to the doctor

"Excuse me doctor, that would be me, I am Henrietta Lange."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Lange, may I speak with you in private?"

"Yes of course."

The team took the incredible obvious hint and made their way over to the chairs by the elevator, all anxiously awaiting the reasons behind Deeks' hospital stay.

"Now Miss Lange, Mr Deeks was found with Miss Blye in a small alley behind a local pub. When the EMT's arrived they described Mr Deeks as being in great shock, which is understandable given the situation. Now whilst the EMT's were working to stabilise Miss Blye's condition Mr Deeks stood, made his way towards the brick wall and punched it with great force, breaking his hand in several places as well as fracturing his wrist. He refused medical treatment before arriving at the hospital, his focus was solely on Miss Blye."

Hetty could feel a small smile spread across her face, 'that doesn't surprise me at all' she silently thought to herself.

"It wasn't until she had been taken to theatre that Mr Deeks finally acknowledged his injury, however he passed out before he could be treated. We have repaired both his hand and wrist, they should heal just fine, it will just require a few weeks in a cast."

"Thankyou doctor; now may I see him?"

"Yes, I will take you too him now. I will have to ask that it is ok that the others visit him however."

"Yes of course, however something tells me it isn't going to be a problem."

* * *

"Mr Deeks, you have a visitor…"

"Hetty… Oh god… my head!"

Hetty simply smiled before responding

"Yes, well it's lovely to see you too Mr Deeks."

"Now, Mr Deeks you have some more visitors outside in the waiting room. A Mr Callen, Mr Hanna, Mr Beale and a Miss Jones; I need your permission to allow them to come and visit"

"Don't be ridiculous man! They're my family!"

"Alright then, I'll take that as a yes. I shall notify them now."

"Hetty, where's Kensi? Please tell me she is ok. Oh god Hetty I stuffed up. This is all my fault. Please tell me she is ok."

"I'm sorry Mr Deeks but I don't have an answer for you. Miss Blye is still in surgery and we are yet to hear anything."

"Still in sur… how long has she been in surgery? How long was I out? Damn! Why did I punch a wall! Gahh!"

"Stay calm Mr Deeks, she has been in surgery for almost 5 hours…"

"FIVE HOURS!"

"Yes Mr Deeks, five hours. You hit your head as you passed out earlier and have been unconscious for a few hours"

"When I get my hands on those sons of bitches…!"

"I'm sorry Mr Deeks, did you say 'those?' Do you know who attacked Miss Blye?"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean I don't know."

"Mr Deeks, calm down. Now tell me what happened, how did this all start…?"

"We… we were at the pub, we were laughing but then I asked her about the nightmares and she just went crazy again. I am so worried about her Hetty; I just wish I knew what was wrong, I just wish I could fix it."

"I know Mr Deeks, I know. Now what happened next?"

"Well Kens stormed off, said she was going to the bathroom and then soon after that some guy came and started talking to me."

"What was he talking about?"

"I don't know, just some stupid fight that had broken out the night before, I wasn't listening to him, I was more concerned about Kensi, about what I was going to say when she came back… How I was going to apologise…"

Deeks could feel his voice beginning to crack as he continued

"I mean after a few minutes I was starting to get a little worried, but then… then I just figured she was taking her time because she was still mad. It wasn't until that guy came from the back of the pub and walked straight over to where I was. He spoke to the guy who was sitting with me… Uhh Dominic? No. D… D… D… Gah what was his name!"

"Settle down Mr Deeks, it's ok if you don't remember…"

"No it isn't! He was a link! He was a link to Kensi! Oh god, I've failed her… again…"

"Listen Mr Deeks, we will get Mr Beale and Miss Jones straight onto security footage from last night, we can ask around those who were present... We will find them Mr Deeks you just have to have faith."

* * *

"Really Kens? You've brought me to your frozen lake? It's that a little too cliché, even for you?"

"Oh shut it, Deeks. Who invited you?"

"Invited me? I didn't need an invitation. Aren't I the sole reason for this lake's existence? Hmm? The one thing you want, so bad?"

Taking a step forward Kensi could hear the cracking of the ice beneath her foot.

"Deeks, why are you standing so far away from me?"

"I'm not princess, it's you who's standing so far away from me…"

* * *

As his four fellow co-workers entered the room they were met by the far from cheery & chatty detective they all knew.

"Deeks, hey what…"

"Eric, Nell, I need to you get straight onto the security footage at the pub. There were two guys, one of them was speaking with me until the other came and joined a little while later. Find out who they are and what their connection to Kensi is. Callen, Sam I need you to go and talk with the bartender and owner of the pub, Rob. Find out if they were locals and if he knows anything about them. Also once we find out who these men are, make sure to ask the Thompson's if they recognise them at all. They obviously play some part in this scenario!"

"Woah Deeks, settle down…"

"NO! What are you waiting for! Kensi is in the ER bleeding to death because of me! I don't deserve your concern, just help her! Find these bastards and then give them all that they deserve!"

"Deeks, look…"

"GET OUT! NOW!"

"Alright then everyone, I think it best we leave Mr Deeks to himself for a while. Let's see what new information we can find…"

"But Hetty, what about Kensi?"

"Miss Jones, I have already spoken with hospital staff and Miss Blye is not due out of surgery for at least two more hours. We will be notified at completion immediately however as you are all well aware we will be unable to all visit her all at once, post-surgery. I shall stay here with Mr Deeks and keep you all up to date on Miss Blye's condition. Standing here, we are wasting valuable investigative time so all of you please return to OSP and start reviewing what leads we currently have."

"But Hetty…"

"Miss Jones please, there is nothing you can do here. Please return to OSP with the others, immediately."

"Make sure you let us know the second Kensi is out of surgery"

"Yes of course Mr Callen."

"Alright then, come on guys, I'll drive."

As the team made their way from the room there were stopped by Deeks' words

"Wait! I'm sorry guys, I was far too harsh just now."

"Don't worry about it Deeks, we're all stressed…"

"Yeah I know, I just need you to go out and do what I know the LAPD could never do in this situation"

"And what would that be, Deeks?"

"Catch the criminals!"

Smiling, the team turned to the door, heading back to Callen's car and continuing on back to OSP.

* * *

"Deeks, I can't move! The ice is cracking!"

"It's ok Fern, a gurkha once told me how to cross a frozen lake, he said 'Do not run, walk slowly, stop to look at everything, take your time, she will wait for you.'"

"She, Deeks?"

"Well look, obviously that was when he was speaking to me… I mean unless I have some competition against winning your affection?"

"DEEKS!"

"Ok, ok, I'll take that as a no…"

"… Deeks… I'm scared."

"It's ok Kens, I'm not going anywhere. I promised I would be patient with you, and I will be."

* * *

Callen and Sam were both concerned about leaving the two tech analysts alone at OPS, knowing that Nell especially was in a far from stable state. However both men knew it was for the best, they really did need to cover as many avenues as possible in as short of amount of time as possible.

"Alright then you two, get straight onto security footage of the surrounding streets of the pub; Sam and I will head there now, speak with the owner and bring back the security footage. I know we're all worried about Kensi but we have to stay focussed on the case, we all know that is what she would want us to do. Contact us if you find anything useful that we may be able to ask the owner about. Good luck."

"Thanks Callen, we'll get right onto it"

As the two men drove off Nell instantly let the tears fall; she was so worried about Kensi and was struggling to hide her fear.

"Hey, hey Nell don't cry, she's going to be alright. Nobody could ever take down our Kensi, you know that."

"This wasn't just some martial arts/kung fu/kick butt scenario Eric! She was stabbed! Three times! And she's been in surgery for over 5 hours! The odds aren't really in her favour!"

"You're right, you are but answer me this, if the roles were reversed, which I pray to god is _never_ the case, would you want Kensi to be upset, sitting at her desk or would you want her out there looking for answers?"

A slight smile began to slowly make its way across Nell's face

"Why are you smiling?"

Suddenly Eric found himself enveloped in Nell's grateful arms as she placed a gentle kiss to his cheek

"Whh, what was that for?"

"Just for being you; now let's go inside, we have work to do!"

* * *

_Two hours later…_

"Mr Deeks, Miss Lange, I have just been notified that Miss Blye is now out of surgery "

"Where is she? I need to see her!"

"She is on her way to ICU as we speak. I've brought your discharge papers with me, if you can sign right here I can release you and take you to her now"

"Yes of course, pass me a pen!"

As Hetty watched the young detectives eyes light up at the news she knew there was no denying the bond shared between both he and his partner.

* * *

"She's just down in the last room on the left. Now I would highly recommend only allowing one visitor at a time, also be weary that she has just come from major surgery and will probably remain unresponsive for at least the first 24 hours."

As Deeks slowly nodded his head he found himself taking a deep breath, preparing for what awaited him on the other side of the pale blue door.

The moment his eyes landed on the woman that lay before him he could feel the instant well of tears appear. Taking a single step forward he then froze, struggling to even speak a single word

"K… Kens…"

Placing one foot in front of the other, Deeks slowly made it to his partner's side, taking a seat in plastic chair beside her bed. Upon taking hold of her lifeless hand in his he felt a single tear escape and run down his left cheek.

"Oh Kens… I am so sorry. So, so sorry"

After placing a kiss to her forehead he then rested his head against the bed and continued to gently stroke his thumb along her knuckles. It was going to be a long night for Deeks, a very, very long night.

* * *

_Four hours later…_

"Well Kens you have to be proud of me, I've now been sitting here for four hours straight without leaving for the bathroom. That has to be a record, right? I hope I get some recognition for that effort, Fern. I'll leave you here for a minute to think about my reward, ok? Don't miss me too much while I'm gone." After placing a quick kiss to her forehead Deeks looks down at his partner, his sleeping beauty, before leaving the room with a small smile on his face, knowing he will be back with her in a matter of minutes.

* * *

"It's show time!"

Dressed as a hospital nurse the young man takes the perfect opportunity to play out the next part of their grand plan.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Miss Kensi Blye. Long-time no see and wow I see the boys weren't kidding when they said you were still just as beautiful. I'd really love to stay and chat but I've got a job to do before that pretty boy detective of yours gets back. Now hold still, this will only take a second…"

With a small smirk spread across his face he headed straight for the door before turning to take one last look at the beauty before him.

"Sweet dreams, K."


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so sorry about the delay on this chapter guys! I've been super busy between work and uni and just haven't had the time to write. I hope this chapter was worth the wait, it took me a while to put together so I'm hoping it ended up alright... I guess this is sort of an in between chapter, but i promise the next chapter will have alot more Densi content with a little Neric thrown in too! :)**

** As always thanks for the new follows/favourites & reviews.**

** Please keep the reviews coming, even just a simple yay or nay! They really do make my day and inspire me to continue writing as fast as possible! :)**

* * *

After dropping off Eric and Nell at OSP the car was instantly engulfed in an unnerving wave of silence. As the two men made their way to the pub in question they both sat for a moment, running through the current scenario in their heads.

"What have we missed? How the hell did we allow for this to happen? We all knew that they were taunting Kensi and yet still Deeks left her alone! Why didn't he stay with her?"

"Woah G, this is in no way Deeks' fault and you know it. We both know Kensi doesn't take well to having her hand held, so chances are she's walked off by herself."

Dropping his head and slightly shaking it from side to side Callen sighed, knowing that he was wrong but being so unable to control his current frustration

"I know, I know. I just hate being behind this guy. We have to end this."

* * *

Entering the pub the two agents were greeted by the barman and owner, Rob; he wore a smile on his face but concern and dread in his eyes. Anxiously he spoke with the men

"Oh hi guys, I guess you're here about Sarah… I'm so sorry I really have no idea what happened, I spoke with her when she arrived next thing I know I being told she's been rushed to hospital. I didn't see who she was with, she was here to meet with your friend Deeks but I never saw her with anyone else, I really don't kn…"

"Rob settle down, nobody is blaming you for anything."

"But she was here in my bar…"

Now would come the time that no agent particularly enjoyed; the time to reveal their true identities to those whom their aliases had formed friendships with.

"Rob, we're going to need to you come with us, we need you to answer some questions."

"Why do we need to leave? I just told you that I don't know what happened! I didn't see anything!"

"Rob, we're federal agents. I'm Agent Callen and this is my partner Agent Hanna. We need you to come with us and officially answer our questions."

"You… you're… federal agents?"

"Yes we are"

"So does that mean, Sarah… Sarah is an agent too? But she couldn't be…"

"She is Rob, and her name isn't Sarah, it's Kensi."

"What about Deeks then? I assume that isn't his name either."

"Actually yes, that is his name. He works for LAPD so visiting this bar before joining with us meant that he was under no strict need to hide his identity."

"Well then why didn't he create an alias after joining your team?"

"Because Rob, he had already become known here, it wouldn't have made sense to suddenly create an alias."

"Oh, right… of course. Sorry this is just a lot to take in at the moment."

"It's ok, we understand. Now if you would come with us we could really use your help; we need all the clues we can get to help catch who has done this to Kensi."

"Yes of course, just give me 5 minutes to pack up."

"No worries, we'll meet you outside. Oh and Rob, bring any security footage you have from that night with you, it could help us out."

As the two men turned and headed for the front door they were stopped by one more question

"Wait, is Sarah… I mean Kensi, is she ok?"

"She's a fighter Rob, always has been and always will be. We just have to believe this is another fight that she will win."

Rob managed a small smile before turning back to finish closing up the pub.

* * *

The sounds of keyboards at work was all that was heard within OPS as the two analysts worked desperately to find any information that could help end the now vicious feud between these violent individuals and their fellow team mate.

"Got it! Here I've found something from a traffic camera on the adjacent street."

As Nell leant in towards Eric's computer he began the clip, however they were both soon be taken aback by the footage. There was no audio, only visual but even that was more than enough to put them both on edge.

"He doesn't seem to be acting very threatening, I mean look he's clearly speaking with her but he's doing it from a somewhat distance, why would he do that?"

"I don't know, but Kens looks very focussed on what he's saying, do you think they know each other?"

"Well I mean I guess it could explain their current stances?"

As they watched the man take a step closer to Kensi they both gasped, knowing what was coming up next. Nell suddenly leant over into front of Eric and pressed the pause button.

"Eric I can't watch this, I just can't."

As he turned to her he then placed a caring hand to her shoulder and softly spoke.

"Ok, I understand if you don't want to but I have to, there might be something that happens, something that may give us a clue. I know it's going to be incredibly uncomfortable but someone has to watch it, for Kensi."

Nell sat in a complete frozen state for a moment before she turned back to the screen and spoke.

"You're right, this is for Kensi."

With that she leant over and pressed the dreaded play button, hoping that what they were about to witness would be worth it.

* * *

As Deeks made his way back into the room and towards the chair beside his partner's bed he continued with his usual nonsense babble

"Alright Kens, so have you worked out my reward yet? I think I deserve a pretty decent surprise. I mean I don't know about you but I was thinking… What the?!... NURSE!"

Within a matter of seconds a young woman appeared in her nurse's uniform with a startled look upon her face

"Mr Deeks? What's happened?"

"Well that's exactly what I would like to know! What is this? I step outside for less than 5 minutes and come back to this! Who has been in here? How the hell has this happened?"

As she stepped closer towards Kensi she quickly saw what it was that Deeks was referring to.

"Oh my! I'll call security at once!"

* * *

Looking ahead, staring ever so desperately at her partner Kensi suddenly found herself overcome by her changing surroundings.

"The ice! The ice is freezing! Deeks, it's refreezing!"

"Well then what are you waiting for? I know you're enjoying the view from afar but I really would prefer if you got your butt over here now."

As she felt herself reciprocating his huge grin she finally took the chance to take her first step forward, then another and another. Before long she found herself unknowingly running across her frozen lake with nothing more in mind than to finally take back the one thing she wanted more than anything in the world, the one thing that had created the lake in the first place; Deeks.

* * *

Pacing up and down the length of room Deeks found he was growing increasingly impatient and irritated. Hoping for answers sooner rather than later, he decides to call the two people he knew could find him the security footage he needed long before anything could ever be organised within the hospital.

"Deeks, is Kensi ok?"

"Yeah, look Kensi is ok but something has happened and I need you to do something for me; I need you look up the hospital's security footage outside of Kensi's room over say, the past half an hour."

Nell was quick to respond, more than ready to do anything and everything possible to help out her friend, especially after what she had just witnessed

"I'm on it"

"Great, thanks Nell."

After a moment of silence Eric continued

"Deeks, what are we looking for? What's happened?"

"Do you remember Annabelle's friend, Joshua Caddings, the boy who was with her when she was abducted?"

"Yeah I do, why?"

"Joshua told us about a tattoo that this man had, it was six letters in a love heart, v, s, k, b, d, s."

After a slight pause he continued "I shouldn't have left her, I wasn't even gone 5 minutes but it was still too long."

"Deeks, what's happened?"

"I went to the bathroom but when I got back I noticed something on Kensi's arm; in a heart… were those same letters. They were in here… with Kensi… alone. I can't believe I've failed her again."

Eric and Nell instantly looked to one another, both unsure of how to respond.

"Deeks, we'll get straight onto the security footage and let you know the second we know anything. You just need to be with Kensi, ok?"

"Yeah, ok thanks Nell."

"Oh and Deeks"

"Yeah?"

"You're still looking for answers to what's happened to Kensi, right?"

"Yes, of course"

"Well then I don't see how you could have possibly failed her. Just because we don't have the answers right now doesn't instantly insinuate that we never will. None of us would ever give up on family, so don't give up on yourself yet Deeks because we all still need your help, especially Kensi."

A small smile managed to make its way across his lips as he spoke

"Wow Nell, thankyou."

"It's the truth Deeks, now get off the phone and let us search through this security footage!"

"Yes ma'am!"

The three of them all shared a much needed laugh before saying their goodbyes and getting back to work, all desperate for answers to the ever increasing amounts of questions.

* * *

A familiar voice suddenly caught her attention although she struggled to open her eyes and confirm her suspicions. Listening a little while longer she heard a laugh, his laugh; it was definitely Deeks. Her first thought was 'please don't let this be another dream' but then a deeper feeling assured her it was true.

After fighting the battle with her heavy eye lids they finally flickered open; as they refocused she was thankful to find that her suspicions had been correct, there standing before her was the man of her dreams.

"Dee…"

Struggling to speak with an impossibly dry mouth she found herself making incomprehensible mumbling sounds.

Upon hearing her struggling voice Deeks instantly ran to her side, grabbing her hand in one of his while the other gently ran along her jawline. He simply stood in a shocked silence for a moment, completed fixed on her mismatched eyes, the ones he was so afraid he may never see again.

He soon spoke with an impossibly large grin on his face "Morning princess."

Kensi could feel a small smile forming upon her face as she heard her partner's voice, and as she stared into his crystal blue eyes.

"Deeks…"

"Yep, that's my name, don't wear it out."

That man just couldn't help but deliver an immature retort in any situation; a trait that always made her smile and one that continued to add to her conflicted feelings towards him.

"Dee… water…"

Reaching over and grabbing the small cup from the side table he brought it to her mouth, offering the small blue straw.

"Thanks"

"You're more than welcome princess"

Sitting back in the chair he takes her hand back in both of his, gently caressing his thumb across the back of her hand.

"Deeks?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened? Why am I here? And where is the rest of the team? Is everyone else ok?"

"Woah woah, settle down. The rest of the team are all fine, they're just out doing their thing, looking for answers and catching bad guys."

"Answers to what? What's happened?"

Deeks found himself in an instant struggle trying to explain their current situation.

"You really don't remember what happened?"

"No?" she said, as an overwhelming look of confusion and fear made it's way across her face.

"We were at the pub, you and I... And I selfishly brought up the topic of your nightmares again, and well then you took off..."

"I... I don't remember... Well how did I end up here?"

"Kens, you were stabbed… three times in the alley behind Rob's pub; we're all looking for answers as to who did it. It's possible this may have something to do with the case involving Annabelle and the notes you've been receiving."

"Stabbed?"

Instinctively Kensi placed one hand to her abdomen only to regret it a moment later.

"Ahh!"

"Kens what are you doing?"

"I don't know! I couldn't feel anything... it was just an instinct!"

"Hey, hey calm down, I'll call a nurse alright?"

"I don't need a nurse, I'm fine."

"Ha! Like I haven't heard that one before"

Kensi knew it wasn't worth fighting back and so instead simply rolled her eyes and looked away.

As her partner stood by the door calling out for a nurse Kensi let her eyes wander around the room before something just below the sleeve on her right arm caught her attention. It was upside down from her angle but it didn't take long for her to realise what it was, what it meant and for all of the coinciding memories to come flooding back; the letters, the pub, the alley… the past.

As she gasped, Kensi found herself desperately trying to keep her tears at bay; she could never let Deeks know about her past with her attacker, it would change everything between them and that was something she just wasn't willing to risk. Instead Kensi turned her attention towards the window, pretending to watch as the clouds breezed by in the sky, however being truly stuck reliving some of her darkest days.

* * *

"Hey Eric, you had any luck with footage from the other night?"

"Hey Sam, we found something on a traffic camera on an adjacent street but it's too far away to get a clear image of Kensi's attacker."

"Ok then, I've got security tapes here from inside the bar, have a look through these and see if you can recognise him. He must have spoken with Kensi beforehand inside the pub, there's no way she would aimlessly walk into a back alley for no reason."

"I'll get straight onto it. Deeks rang not too long ago and asked us to look over footage from outside of Kensi's room, it looks like someone has gotten into her room while he was in the bathroom."

"What? How could nobody notice anything?"

"I don't know yet, I'm still working on gaining access to the hospital's security system."

"Do you know what they were doing in her room? How did Deeks know something had happened?"

"Someone had drawn on Kensi's right arm, a love heart surrounding 6 letters v, s, k, b, d, s. It's the same as the one Joshua Caddings described on the man who took Annabelle."

"What the hell does this guy want?! This has got to end Eric, get straight onto that hospital footage, we really need some answers."

"I'll check it now"

"Ok, but uhh Eric, where's Nell?"

"Umm, well... we had to watch the footage of Kensi's attack a few times to make sure that we weren't missing anything but uh… It got a little too much for Nell so she's just gone to grab us some lunch. I think she just needs a bit of a break from it all."

"It's never easy watching someone you care about get hurt in such a vicious manner. She'll be alright, just keep an eye out on her ok?"

"I will"

"Alright well I have to get back to Callen and Rob down at the boatshed, call us if you find anything."

"No worries, will do."

"Oh and Eric, maybe try to think of something to take some of Nell's attention away from all of the violence for a while."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, that's what partners are for."

With that, Sam turned and exited OPS, leaving Eric to search through the security tapes and to work on a plan to cheer up his partner.

* * *

"Hi Kensi, I'm nurse Julie, how are you feeling?"

"Umm, I don't really know, I'm still feeling pretty tired."

"And she just threw her arm across her stomach and cried out in pain…"

Kensi sent Deeks one of her instant death stares after his comment; she was not one to play the part of a fragile victim, something that Deeks knew all too well, yet still he always had to voice his concern when it came to her wellbeing. Although it irritated her to begin with, it was still something that touched her heart; something that she couldn't secretly deny.

"Ok well I can administer some more pain relief now, is anything else hurting? Any headaches or dizziness?"

"No, I'm fine"

With a smile on her face Julie added one final note

"I'll just let you in on a little secret Kensi, saying you're 'fine' has never fooled anyone in this hospital before. I'll be back later to check on you."

"Thanks"

After Julie left the room Kensi looked to Deeks only to be met by one of his trademark grins.

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure this is the part where I get to say I told you so."

Kensi couldn't help but roll her eyes at his comment and offer a far from mature "Whatever."

Not too long after a man in a security uniform appeared at the door.

"Hi, I'm Stuart with the hospital security team, I'm looking for a Mr Deeks?"

"That would be me."

Deeks looked to Kensi with sorry eyes, but with promise to fill her in soon. Kensi simply nodded her head as she watched her partner step outside with Stuart.

Sitting alone Kensi found herself looking back down at the image on her right arm, stirring questions in her mind.

'Why would hospital security be responding to my room if this all took place in the alley? Wouldn't it be more of a concern for the police? Unless…'

Kensi suddenly felt a shiver run throughout her entire body.

'They were here… in the hospital… with me… alone... again.'

It seemed as though every time Kensi believed things couldn't get any worse, they did. It was bad enough that she had become the centre of this investigation but the knowing that those men have knowledge of her team mates, of Deeks, only drove Kensi harder to finish what had been started. She just had to work out what it was that Vince and Demetri were after and why they all of a sudden wanted it now. Kensi prayed that she would be able to find the answers to these questions on her own because explaining her past with her colleagues, especially Deeks, was something that truly scared her more than anything else in the world.

* * *

"Mr Deeks"

"Please, call me Marty"

"Ok, Marty, after getting the call about the incident in Miss Blye's room we immediately searched through our security footage however we were met with a problem"

"What kind of problem?"

"The two cameras directly outside of Miss Blye's room and the one by the elevator were both disabled; as were the cameras in the lobby and inside the east elevator"

"What are you saying?"

Even though Deeks knew exactly what Stuart meant, in such a tense situation he was looking for a definite answer.

"I'm saying that we have no footage of the individual entering Miss Blye's room or even the hospital."

* * *

"Nicely done boys! Damn it's great having so many 'friends of a friend' between us all, I mean gaining direct access to hospital security? I bet the hospital staff never saw that coming when they hired him."

The three men all shared a wicked laugh as they clinked their beers together "Cheers to the brotherhood. Who would have thought that our pasts with one beautiful woman could bring together such an incredible alliance?"

"So what's our next plan?"

"First we wait for Kensi's release from hospital, give her a few days at home to recover and then we get this show back on the road. Don't worry, I've already got a friend of mine up to date on the plan so it should go down without a hitch."


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone,

I am sooooooooooo sorry about the delay on this chapter! I really hate making excuses but I've had a couple of health issues over the past few weeks. Between doctors, specialists, tests, scans, work and all the rest of it I just haven't been able to write! Trust me I've been missing it! I'm not only behind on my own story but with so many other's as well! Fingers crossed the results come back alright so that I can be back to writing on a more regular schedule!

I hope this chapter was worth the wait! As always please let me know what you all think!

:)

**Chapter 8**

One week later and Kensi was sure that she was on the verge of screaming. Being treated like a helpless victim, constantly being checked on and asked if she was ok; it was everything that she hated all rolled into one, all whilst being stuck inside the same tiny room, all day, every day. Upon seeing Nurse Julie at her door she couldn't help but let out her pent up frustration.

"I'm fine! I was fine before and I'm fine now! I just need to get out of here! I need to go home!"

An incredibly shocked expression suddenly appeared across Julie's face, however it didn't last long; she was more than used to it, Kensi certainly wasn't the first patient to get anxious about leaving.

"Geez Kens calm down, Jules is only here to do her job."

Taking a deep breath Kensi prepared herself for her apology however Julie beat her to it.

"Well Miss Blye, I'm happy to inform you that you are going to be released today. I have the papers here, I just need you to sign them and then you can head on home."

Kensi couldn't stop the beaming smile that made its way across her face. Home. She was finally going home.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, now if you would just sign here I'll let you on your way."

After taking hold of the pen and signing her name Kensi handed back the clipboard whilst looking straight at the nurse.

"Julie, I am sorry about before, I was just…"

"Apology accepted. Don't worry I completely understand, hospital stays are far from enjoyable. Now will you have someone staying with you? You must still be careful with those stitches, any strenuous movements or stretching have to be avoided. Sometimes it's just easier if there's someone else around to help out."

As Kensi began to speak Deeks was quick to beat her to it.

"Yep, I'll be sticking around. I know how damn stubborn she is, and despite thinking that she's wonder woman I'll be sure to let her know when enough is enough."

As Julie giggled, Kensi dropped her head and sighed before looking back at her partner.

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"Truth hurts, princess."

"Alright guys, I'll leave you to it. Make sure to follow the doctor's instructions on the care of those stitches and we should see you in around 6 weeks to have them removed. Goodbye."

"Thankyou Julie, for everything"

"No worries Miss Blye, oh and Mr Deeks…"

"Yes?"

"Take good care of her, alright?"

Deeks couldn't help but reply to Julie's request with a wink and a grin

"Oh don't you worry Jules, I most certainly will."

* * *

Entering her apartment Kensi felt a wave of relief wash over her; it was great to be back home, especially since there were a lot more things here to distract her mind from her current situation.

"Oh yeah, I forgot this place had a makeover! Nice floorboards."

"Really, Deeks? You're not going to give me a single minute to enjoy being home without making fun of me?"

"Sorry Fern, you know it's just a reflex."

Kensi simply mumbled her response as she looked out of the front window

"Yeah, a reflex that I often wonder why I put up with."

"Alright, let me put these bags away while you sit down and make yourself at home."

"Deeks, this is my home."

"Well yeah it is, but one that you have been away from for a while now… perhaps I should have said 'get yourself reacquainted with your home', better?"

With a sarcastic smile she responded

"Much better."

Upon returning to the lounge room Deeks was welcomed with a view of his partner, laid out along the couch, already chowing down on a half-eaten Twinkie as she flicked through the channels on the tv.

"Uhh Kens, you've been in hospital for just over a week sooo where the hell did that come from?"

"I just found it, so what?"

"Where was it?"

"Does it matter?"

"It was between the lounge cushions, wasn't it?"

Dropping her head and turning it back towards the tv Kensi let out a small sigh before speaking

"No…"

"That's my girl, not letting any food go to waste, regardless of what it's been through. I don't know Fern but I think that could almost be means for a therapy session."

"Ha! Says the man who ate a week old cronut after it had been sitting at his front door step the entire time!"

With a stunned look spreading across his face, he soon felt it disappear as a small smirk appeared

"Aha! Touché!"

Deeks couldn't help but admire the radiant smile on his partner's face at her victory.

"Alright then, I'll leave you now and give you some space to relish in your win. Monty needs to be fed and taken for his last walk or else we both know he won't sleep tonight. Sometimes I really wish that he had his own backyard to run around in; wear off some of that energy himself. Now look I won't be any longer than 45 minutes ok? Just stay put until I get back, I'll grab some lunch while I'm out too."

Kensi couldn't help but slightly laugh at Deek's 'To do list' and at how he ever so confidently delivered it. Walking behind the lounge he quickly leant down and whispered in her ear before throwing something into her lap

"Here's once last treat before lunch; just a reminder that you don't need to rummage through lounge cushions in order to satisfy that incredibly sweet tooth of yours."

Watching as he turned and exited through the front door Kensi's attention was immediately brought back to the object he had just left her with; another Twinkie. Kensi felt the overwhelming smile make its way across her face. Despite his ability to drive her completely insane it was his ability to so easily make her smile that held a far bigger place in her heart.

* * *

"I don't know what's up with people of LA today but it seems as though every second person is out in the streets searching for lunch…"

"Nell, it's 1pm on a week day, isn't that when most people eat lunch?"

"I'm sorry, do you want what I bought for you or would you rather go and risk your life to choose your own?"

"No no, what you bought is just fine. Let's go to the lunch room though; given the choice, I think I'd prefer to risk my life in the streets of LA as opposed to facing Hetty's consequences for breaking the rules... again."

"That is true, she does know everything that is going on, in all places, at all times."

Entering the lunch room Eric was happy to find it completely empty, giving him an easier environment to work on his hopeful plans to somewhat cheer up his partner.

"So apparently this is greatest spaghetti bolognaise you will find in America; the closest thing to the Italian classic."

"That's quite a call"

"Yeah well it smelt good and it was close by, so dig in! Besides, we've never eaten pasta in Italy, so how could we possibly know the difference?"

It was at that moment that Eric felt the invisible light bulb above his head light up. He had a plan, now all he needed to do was to accomplish it.

* * *

As Deeks played with the keys to his front door in attempt to open it he could hear the excited paws of his furry friend scratching on the other side. Upon opening the door he was instantly tackled by that very dog

"Heya boy! Did ya miss me?"

After licking his face Monty jumped down and ran over towards the back window, only to head straight back towards Deeks with the leash in his mouth.

"You know Monty, why is it that I'm left feeling like the side kick in this relationship; you tell me what you want and I constantly cave in and give it to you. I guess that makes you a pretty lucky boy huh? Nobody else gets that treatment…"

Deeks stood still for one moment before he spoke again…

"Except Kensi… I suppose she gets that same treatment too, only she is far more expensive in her wishes."

Upon mention of her name Deeks found Monty's tail to wag with increased pace

"Kensi… Kensi! Kensi! Kensi!"

Before long Monty was standing on all fours, wagging his tail uncontrollably and bouncing his front paws up and down.

"Alright boy lets go for a run, I think all of this talk of my girl has got you a little extra excited today."

Deeks suddenly stopped dead in his tracks

"My girl?… no no, my girl 'partner'… that's all… my girl… partner…"

Shaking his head Deeks grabbed Monty's leash and headed for the front door, hoping that getting out of that place as fast as possible would be enough to leave those conflicted thoughts behind.

* * *

Back at the boatshed Callen and Sam both escorted Rob into the interrogation room.

"Here Rob, now take a seat. Hopefully this shouldn't take too long."

He couldn't seem to quite contain his nerves, the intense worry of the current situation was written all over his face. Sitting directly opposite, Callen began with the questions that would hopefully be able to bring about some answers.

"Alright Rob, now you said that on the day of the attack that you first saw Deeks enter the pub alone and that he took a seat at the back corner booth."

"Yeah, that's right."

"At any point did you notice anyone possibly looking his way? Maybe someone that continued to walk past him?"

"Sorry guys, but there's a lot of people that pass through every day and night, I can't watch everyone's exact movements."

Sam was next to throw a question Rob's way as he stood in the far corner by the door.

"Alright then, what about when Kensi arrived, did you see her speaking with anyone?"

"No, she just looked really upset and worried. She asked if I had seen Deeks and when I told her where he was she just thanked me and headed off towards him. I didn't see anyone that looked to be following her but like I said, I can't account for everyone's actions."

"Ok, well we'll just have to hope that we can find something on those security tapes. Thanks for your time Rob, we can take you back now."

As the two men rose and Sam began opening the door Rob suddenly blurted out one last thing

"No wait! There was a guy!"

Sam and Callen both instantly turned all of their attention to him as he continued to speak.

"Soon after Sar… I mean Kensi, soon after she met up with Deeks they seemed to get into a bit of a heated argument. I couldn't hear what they were saying but Kensi soon stood up and walked away towards the back bathrooms."

"Ok? But what has this 'guy' got to do with the attack?"

"He was at the bar while it was happening; he had turned around and was watching them argue. After Kensi walked off he turned back to the bar, downed his drink before getting up and walking towards the back of the pub. I mean I didn't think anything of it, the bathrooms are up that end, but what if he was following her… what if… what if he's the one that…"

"Ok ok, what did this guy look like? Any distinguishing features?"

"All I remember is a scar across his right eye; all the way from his eyebrow to his upper cheek. From the angle of the thing I'm surprised he still had an eye!"

Sam and Callen both instantly turned their attention to one another, communicating through nothing more than a stern look and a slight nod of the head. They both knew the plan, and they both knew their best chance of finding him.

* * *

As the doors into OPS slid open the two tech analysts were instantly welcomed by a video call from Callen and Sam.

"Hi guys, now Sam and I just finished speaking with Rob, the owner of the pub and he was told us about a man who seemed to be acting somewhat suspicious just shortly before the attack on Kensi."

"What made him think this guy was suspicious? Nell and I searched all of the footage and couldn't identify anyone with striking suspicious behaviours. However we were met with a problem."

After taking a deep breath Callen spoke

"What kind of problem?"

"Well the cameras seem to cover the entire area of the pub… except for…"

"Let me guess, the far end and the bathrooms."

"Well, yes. It looks as though the camera was disconnected on site at approximately 5pm. After that time there is no signal what soever coming from that camera."

Sam couldn't help but shake his head and let out a frustrated sigh

"This cannot be happening. Why are we always one step behind? What are we missing!"

"Alright well Rob said that this man was sitting at the bar just before Kensi walked away from Deeks. He said that as soon as he saw Kensi head for the bathrooms he quickly finished his drink before following after her. Rob also mentioned that the man had a large scar across his right eye, which may help in locating him on the security footage. Hopefully Kensi can make a positive identification if we can manage to get a clear image."

"Alright then, we'll get right onto it and get back to you as soon as we know anything."

"Thanks guys."

And with that, the screen went dark as the two analysts returned to their computers ready to help do what it is that their team does best; catching bad guys.

* * *

"I'm baaaaaaack!"

"Oh good, what's for lunch."

After throwing down his keys on the kitchen bench he made his way back to the room where Kensi lay across the couch.

"Are you kidding me? I barely make it inside and you're already asking about lunch?"

"Yeah, and?"

Deeks couldn't seem to find any words and so instead simply rolled his eyes, before shaking his head and making his way back towards the kitchen.

"Tacos. We've got tacos."

Whilst he walked away he found himself silently whispering

"You see Monty, I told you that you weren't the only one to get what you want…"

Returning with lunch on two separate plates Deeks laid them down on the small glass dining table.

"Come on Fern, I don't think old tacos are something that you'll want to be pulling from lounge cushions in a week's time."

"Oh ha ha."

As Kensi spun around and placed her feet on the floor she felt a sharp pain as she attempted to stand from the couch.

"Ahh!"

Upon hearing Kensi's slight cry Deeks was quick to run straight for her; unable to control his actions when it came to his partner's wellbeing. Suddenly Kensi found herself being lifted as he gently placed one arm across her back and under both of her arms. Once they were both standing they found themselves for a single moment trapped in one another's eyes; both knowing what they wanted to say, but both knowing that they couldn't.

"You ok?"

"Ye… yeah, I'm good."

"Ok good… Well… Well then let's eat."

As Deeks turned and headed back for the table Kensi felt her head drop; the next few weeks were going to be incredibly difficult, and it was going to have nothing to do with her physical health.

* * *

He could begin to feel his heart rate increasing as time moved on by; wanting this night to be perfect, wanting it to be successful in helping his partner through the hurt and despair that everyone was currently feeling in relation to Kensi and the case. The table was set for two; a simple white linen table cloth covered the small square table, followed by a red and white checked table cloth overhanging the four sides as well a small bunch of flowers in the center. There was twenty minutes before his house guest was due to arrive but with everything being set and ready for her arrival he instead found himself pacing back and forth the length of his apartment.

Half an hour later there was a knock at the door; Eric instantly found himself at a standstill as he adjusted his shirt collar and took a deep breath. 'This isn't a date' he thought to himself 'It's just a dinner, just a dinner with two friends, that's all. Just a dinner.' Shaking off his nervous thoughts Eric headed to the door, ready to greet his dinner guest.

"Hey Eric, sorry I'm…"

"Ciao, ti aspettiamo in"

As he gestured for her to enter the apartment Nell instantly felt the incredible smile grow across her face.

"Wow Eric, I just thought… I mean, wow."

"Well you made a comment today about never had eaten in Italy, so I just… I thought… I thought I would try for the next best thing."

As the smile remained well planted across her lips Nell was soon to ask the most important question

"Well then signore, what's on tonight's menu?"

* * *

By that night Kensi was beginning to realise just how many simple tasks her injuries were preventing her from carrying out, and there was soon to be yet another. It was expected that it would be somewhat of a challenge simply getting changed into her pyjamas however the next scenario was not.

"Uhh Deeks…"

"Yeah?"

"Can you come here for a second?"

Whilst waiting for him to arrive Kensi ran through the many things she expected he would respond with to her next request

"So Fern, what's up?"

"That cabinet… above the sink…"

"Yeah?"

"Can you grab me the toothpaste?"

Instantly Deeks doubled over as he let out a great cry of laughter.

"Why is that funny? Would you just get it for me?"

As he continued to chuckle he leant over and grabbed the toothpaste before passing it to her.

"I still don't see why that was so funny."

"Oh it's just the irony, I mean with your sweet tooth and an inability to reach the toothpaste… I'm just imagining the consequences. I mean you with missing teeth… I guess that could make you the mutant ninja assassin!"

With an unimpressed look posted across her face and crossed arms Kensi was quick to reply "Oh shut up and get out!"

Upon re-entering her bedroom Kensi was surprised to find one of the pillows missing, along with the blanket that lay along to foot of the bed. Walking out to the lounge area she found Deeks setting up a temporary bed on her couch.

"Umm Deeks, what are you doing?"

"Well I mean I could have slept on the floor but I figured that if I woke up hungry I could find myself a midnight snack without needing to get up."

"It was one thing, Deeks! One!"

"Hmm, well we'll see about that."

After a moment of silence Kensi reluctantly spoke

"Deeks… you don't have to sleep out here…"

"Hmm well I suppose I would find just as much to eat on the kitchen floor…"

"Deeks!"

"Ok ok, I'll stop… for now."

"Just come to bed ok? Before I change my mind."

Stopped dead in his tracks Deeks looked back towards Kensi with an overly sarcastic, intrigued smile

"Did you just invite me to bed, princess?"

Turning and heading back to her room Kensi shook her head as she mumbled

"Why do I even bother."

* * *

"Alright guys we're moving up the schedule, K gets one more day and then we move. I'm sick of having to worry about this kid and besides, she doesn't mean nearly as much to Kensi as certain others in her life."

In their usual manner the men all shared their evil laugh as they began to run through their plans for the next week's events. Evil was their style and unfortunately for Kensi, she was the center of their current plan.


End file.
